Living and Dying
by akiraflame-tumblr
Summary: Starts during s4 during the flu infection in the prison and continues beyond that. Inspired by a gif set on tumblr by littlebaldbeth. Beth is one of the first to catch the flu bug and quickly becomes one of the sickest. Daryl races against time to get the medicine she, and the others need to recover. I combined two fic ideas so the story then jumps to their reunion!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One – Healthy and Not

Beth stretched her arms up and felt a soft pop in her back as she did. The cots here in the prison were better than nothing, but there were some mornings when hers felt like it was the floor more than a cot. Last night had been one of those nights. She couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep, and it was late when she finally did.

She had always been an early riser; regardless of whatever time she went to sleep, so when the sun came shining through the windows of the cellblock, she snapped awake with a soft mumble. She really wished that she could sleep in a little more as she realized she was feeling a little off, but she knew it would be useless to try. Plus she knew that Rick was already awake and waiting on her with Judith.

She walked out of her cell and smiled brightly at Rick, happily taking the growing baby, who was making small whimpers and drooling like crazy in his arms, from him so that he could go out to tend to the animals and farm. Daryl walked by shortly later, and she felt her stomach flutter.

"Good morning, Daryl," she greeted with her typical smile in place. The two of them had become closer as time went on but she felt that she still fell under the "acquaintance" category with him. He looked at her and gave a small quirk of his lip as a smile in return. _That's a first_, she thought to herself. Normally he just grunted at her, poked Judith and moved on. He surprised her even more when he came to a stop in front of her and watched her lightly bounce Judith.

"G'morning, Beth. How are you and Lil' Ass Kicker today?" He ran a gentle hand over Judith's fine hair and Beth watched as his eyes lit up with the affection he held for the what she estimated to be almost one-year old in her arms. His eyes moved to meet her gaze and she saw the warmth stay in his eyes. It made her happy to know that he felt some amount of affection for her too.

"I think she might be teething still, she's been a little fussy," she replied as she adjusted Judith on her hip and rolled her shoulder slightly. Daryl's eyebrows furrowed at the movement and the look in his eyes voiced the question she didn't answer.

"I'm…feeling a little rough. I think it's just because I couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep last night," she answered and he nodded with a look of understanding on his face. She was glad to know that it wasn't just her struggling to get comfortable. He opened his mouth to say something else but was cut off by a gunshot that echoed through the cellblock. Beth saw his relaxed stance change immediately to a tense, battle ready one and she pulled Judith tighter to her and met his concerned gaze.

"You and Judith get in that cell and don't come out until Rick or I say its clear, got it?" He growled out, concern for the two of them heavy in his voice as he carefully pushed Beth into a random cell and closed the door.

"Okay…be safe," she replied and hugged the baby closer to her. He looked her briefly in the eyes and nodded before running off. She could hear screaming and more gunshots and Judith began to cry, loudly at the echoes they could hear. It felt like hours, but Beth could tell it had only been maybe ten or so minutes, before all the sounds came to end. Beth felt herself growing uncomfortably warm and she felt panic rise at the thought that she might be feverish. She held her breath and glanced at Judith. If she was feverish, she needed to get Judith away from her as quickly as she could. Several more minutes passed as Beth waited for someone to give an all clear and panic rose higher and higher in her at the thought of each passing minute only increased Judith's exposure to her fever.

Beth's head snapped up at the sound of hurrying footsteps and looked out the bars of the cell to see Carl and Maggie coming towards her. She threw the cell door open as quickly as she could and carefully handed Judith to Carl.

"I'm sorry, I can't babysit Judith right now. I don't feel well," she said as she quickly pulled her shirt up to cover her nose and mouth in hopes of it stopping any more of a risk of giving Judith whatever she had. She hoped that it was only exhaustion that caused it. She had felt like this before a couple of times before the group had secured the prison and getting plenty of rest had taken care of it back then, she could only hope that this would be the same situation. Maggie's eyes widened and Beth could see fear building in her eyes.

"Oh, Bethy…no, no, no," Maggie moaned out as her eyes watered slightly. "We need to get you to daddy and Dr. S. Now!" Maggie grabbed Beth's arm tightly and started pulling her out of the cellblock and outside. Beth did her best to keep her nose and mouth covered as she was dragged, but Maggie's nails dug into her arm causing her to start resisting.

"Ow, Maggie! Stop, you're hurting me!" Beth cried out, jerking on her arm to try and free it from her sister's vice-like grip. Her eyes squinted in the bright sunlight at her sister. "What the hell you're doing?!"

"Elizabeth Greene! What's goin' on here, you two?" Beth spun to face her father as he approached with Daryl directly behind him. Daryl's eyebrows rose with the sound of her cursing and she swore she saw a smile flash on his face.

"Beth's running a fever, daddy. I think she might have caught the flu bug that killed Patrick," Maggie explained. Beth froze and looked at the three of them as her dad's face dropped into one of concern. Her eyes moved to Daryl's and she saw that same concern and something else in his eyes.

"Patrick died from the flu?" Her face held her confusion and concern that only increased as she received a nod in answer from Maggie, who took a couple of steps back from her sister.

"Fuck," Daryl grumbled, earning a brief look of disapproval from Hershel. "What 'bout Judith?" He asked as he met Beth's eyes. Beth's heart sank.

"I passed her to Carl as soon as I could…Oh god, what if I gave it to her?" Beth began to panic and tears welled in her eyes at the thought of being the one to infect, and possibly kill, the child. Beth felt the panic tighten her chest and she found breathing to become more difficult around the sobs. She soon found herself in a coughing fit, keeping her shirt up on her nose and mouth, and strong hands wrapping themselves hesitantly around her to help keep her upright.

"I'll take ya on down to Cellblock A, okay, Beth?" Daryl's gravelly voice rumbled beside her. She nodded and let him guide her into the building and into a cell that was away from Karen and David and closest to the entrance to the cellblock.

"Death row…that's fitting…" Beth coughed out into her shirt and Daryl tensed beside her. He roughly turned her body to face him and she felt the air crackle and his face turned stormy, but his eyes showed something else entirely. She couldn't place what she was seeing in his eyes but his anger made her flinch slightly.

"Don't talk like that, girl!" He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a minute and he shifted his weight around and she could see she had made him uncomfortable. "Yer gonna be fine. I'm gonna talk with yer dad and see about finding some medicine for ya…"

" 'M sorry," she mumbled so softly she worried that he couldn't hear her through the fabric on her face. She placed her hand gently on his arm and was surprised when he didn't tense or jerk away from her like he normally did.

" 'S fine...look, jus' get some rest, alrigh'? You'll feel better in no time," he mumbled out before walking away, the cellblock door closing loudly behind him. Beth nodded to herself, sniffling slightly to calm herself down. She looked around the cell and stared at the bed for a moment before realizing she couldn't sleep now. Beth turned and walked out of her cell and looked around the cellblock. She glanced through the visiting room that was next to her cell and out the glass where she saw Daryl pacing and muttering to himself. She walked closer to the glass and sighed, catching Daryl's attention. He froze and stared at her for a moment before turning angrily to walk off.

"You're right," she called out to him, making him freeze and turn back to her, confused. "I'm gonna be fine, so is Karen and David and…Lil' Ass Kicker, so you stop worrying yourself to death over there and go do what you need to do." She smiled brightly at him and he gave a soft grin.

"Yer daddy ain't gonna like you talkin' like that. He'll tell me I been a bad influence on ya," he replied with a smirk. Beth shrugged and smiled at his banter. "Now I mean it, get some rest."

"Yes sir, Dr. Dixon," Beth replied, earning a snort from the hunter on the other side of the glass. She placed her hand briefly on the glass before turning to continue her exploration of the cellblock.

"That ain't restin', girl!" She heard echo from the visitor's room, making her laugh before coughing violently into her shirt. She took a deep breath and walked back towards her cell and the visiting room. She glimpsed across from her cell and saw another cell, but it had a window much like the visiting room's window. She contemplated moving to that room so that it would be easier for her daddy, Maggie, and Daryl (if he wanted to) to check in on her but felt her exhaustion and sickly feelings catch up to her. She lay down on the cot in her cell and decided she would move cells after a nap.


	2. Chapter 2 Fighting and Surviving

**A/N**: I don't mean for this chapter to come across as bashing Carol but I needed the dialogue to be this way. I love her character and understand why she did what she did (though I don't agree with it but hey, I'm not Carol) but I needed this to work this way…this is how the story mapped out in my head and I have to do it this way.

**Chapter 2 – Fighting and Surviving**

Beth woke from her nap to find her cell room dim, almost too dark to see in. She looked groggily around her new cell and saw that a lantern had been brought and sat on the floor beside her bed. She pushed herself into a sitting position and looked blearily outside of her cell door to the windows on the opposite side of the cellblock from her. The sun was still up, so she assumed that she hadn't taken too long of a nap. Beth heard the door to the cellblock open and remained still and quiet as she leaned on her cot to see who was entering. She saw Carol stepping in to the cellblock carrying two jugs of liquid, glance around cautiously before closing the cellblock door and locking it. Beth frowned at this but said nothing.

Carol walked calmly passed Beth's cell, unaware that she was in there watching and Beth heard her steps go several feet further, until she could barely hear her footsteps anymore. Beth remembered that there was an exit door and figured that Carol had left through that. This confused her though. Why would Carol walk through the cellblock of sick people and risk getting sick herself? Then beth heard the far door open again and foot steps returning. They stopped halfway down the cellblock at what Beth assumed was Karen's cell. She stood up and heard soft words of comfort from the older woman, and smiled in gratitude that Carol was willing to risk her health to help take care of them. Although her actions previously were odd and confusing, she thought to herself that maybe Carol had brought water to help them stay hydrated.

Then Beth heard it. That unforgettable squelching sound of a knife cutting through flesh and she froze, her mouth dropping in horror.

Then Beth heard steps moving a short distance and she remembered that David's cell was right across from Karen's and shivered. Then she heard the awful squelching sound again and knew what was happening. Carol had killed Karen and David. Beth shivered again but this time it was from fear. If Carol knew, or found out, that Beth was in here too, did that mean she would kill her as well? Beth's eyes flew to the cell across from hers, the one with the visitors' window and then to the cellblock door. She could lock Carol into the cellblock to keep her from getting away with murdering two of their friends. But then what? She couldn't risk leaving and infecting the others but she had to tell someone.

Beth could feel a pressure building in her chest and realized that she desperately needed to cough. She swallowed tightly and did her best to hold her breath as she listened in horror as Carol dragged the bodies out one at a time. When the door opened for the first body, Beth waited a moment before allowing her coughs to come out. Her knees buckled under the force of the coughing fit and she began to taste iron in her mouth, gagging and choking on blood as it came up her throat and dripped to the floor below her. Beth heard the far door open again and pushed herself to stand, though she felt herself sway. She quickly grabbed the lantern and any other supplies in her cell and dashed across the hall to the other cell with the window as she heard Carol's footsteps hurry towards her. She carefully dropped her pillow and the lantern on the cot and turned to close the door.

Beth heard Carol's footsteps were almost to her and she slammed the cell door shut and pushed whatever moveable furniture the cell room happened to have in it into the corner of the door so that it couldn't budge. Beth looked up and met Carol's eyes that filtered quickly from surprised to sad.

"Beth, I…I didn't know you were in here! You're sick too?" Carol asked through her bandana and Beth barely nodded, fear and illness holding her lungs hostage.

"Beth, you have to understand what I am doing and why. I'm doing this to protect everyone! If I don't do this, it could spread to Judith…and Daryl. I have seen how you look at him…if I don't do this, the two people you care about most outside of your family will get infected. They'll die, Beth. Please, open the door…" Beth gave a choking sob and wiped the blood trail off her chin as she stood up.

**A little while later…**

"RICK! DARYL!" The two mean in question turned quickly to look in Tyreese's yelling. "COME QUICKLY!" The two men raced as quickly as they could to Tyreese and they could see anguish written all over his face. Carol came out of Cellblock C with concern on her face. "Come quickly!" Tyreese explained as he led the three of them through cellblock A. Daryl glanced briefly at Beth's cell and paused when he saw the sheets undone from the bed.

"Where's Beth?" he asked, making Rick, Tyreese, and Carol turn to face him. Rick could see a brief flash of concern and panic cross the hunter's face before it settled behind a stony mask.

Carol and Tyreese looked at each other, confused. "Beth was in here?" Carol asked and Tyreese shook his head.

"We can find Beth in a minute, you need to see this. Look," Tyreese pointed at the blood trails heading down the hall and around the corner. Daryl felt his heart sinking as he ran with the others to follow the blood trail. He paused slightly when he picked up a weird, burning smell but hurried with the others to investigate. His brain was telling him the worst that Beth, Karen, and David had died and with the burning smell, he could only assume that they were burned now. He came to a stop outside and stared at the two burnt bodies. There were only two and one he knew for certain was David's. After a quick glimpse at the female body, he could tell that it wasn't Beth and a soft sigh of relief escaped him.

"It's David and Karen…somebody killed them and set them on fire!" Tyreese yelled out, his grief taking over.

**Back to Beth**

"Where's Beth?" his voice made Beth's head snap up from where she was curled up in the corner of her new cell and she smiled gratefully when she saw him. Her smile quickly diminished when she realized Carol was with him as she pretended to not know she had ever been in the cellblock. Tyreese grabbed Daryl's attention right as Beth was about to make her presence known and the group quickly left to discover the remains of Karen and David. Beth sighed in relief and forced her shaky body to stand up, only to double over and start coughing again. She did her best to cover her cough with her shirt and grimaced at the taste of iron and choked on the pool she started coughing up.

When her coughs calmed down, she looked at her shirt and hands and felt the fear returning. It looked like she had been stabbed with as much blood that was on her shirt. Her head shot up when she heard fighting and yelling down the hall. Had they figured out who had done it so quickly? No, she could hear now that Tyreese, Rick, and Daryl were yelling with Carol yelling, "stop." Beth heard everything quiet down outside before the door slammed open and Tyreese limped angrily down the hall, past her cell door and left the cellblock.

"Carol, why don't you go help Tyreese, see if you can get him to Dr. S. I'll get Rick to Hershel," Beth heard Daryl say and Carol gave him a quiet "okay" in return. Carol came to a stop outside of Beth's cell and looked at her sadly before leaving. Beth shrunk back into her corner at the look but released a breath she didn't realize she was holding when the door shut behind her.

"A'right, let's go see Hershel. Then I'm goin' to go find Beth," Daryl told to Rick, who gave no response. Beth stood up and walked to the door of her cell and opened her mouth to announce her location. Instead of words coming out, Beth began to cough and choke as more blood ran from her mouth.

"Beth?" she heard Daryl call out over her choking. When her coughing and choking got worse, she found herself collapsing to the floor, using the cell bars to help ease her down. Her eyes fixated on the pool of blood she was coughing up and onto the floor and she felt her lungs burning for air. She heard the two men come running towards her cell. "Shit, Beth!" Daryl called out as he tried to open the cell door. "What the…you jammed it shut? You saw who did it, didn't you?"

Beth spit up the last of the blood in her throat and began gasping and coughing for air. She nodded to answer Daryl's question and shakily stood to remove the furniture from the door jam. She pulled on the small table as hard as she could but found she didn't have the strength to do it and looked at Daryl helplessly.

"C…" she choked out, around her sore throat. Daryl and Rick froze and watched her as she swallowed and tried again. "Ca..rol…did it…I'm…sorry, I know she's…a friend…" Daryl and Rick looked at each other sadly before Daryl shook his head.

"Beth…are you sure?" he asked, his voice heavy. She took a deep breath and nodded as tears formed in her eyes.

"Yes…she told me…she told me that she did it to protect everyone," Beth answered strongly, as her breath caught back up to her but her voice began to waver as her tears began to flow. "She didn't know I was in here…she killed them, and dragged them outside. My coughing gave me away, so I ran in here and jammed the desk into the door.

"She told me…that I needed to let her in and that she would make it quick and painless. She told me I needed to do it to protect you and Judith," Beth sobbed out, her eyes fixed solely on Daryl. Rick watched as the two people in front of him crumpled. Daryl, at the idea of almost losing Beth and at the realization that he lost Carol, a friend. Rick's attention snapped back to Beth as her sobs grew heavier. "I almost let her do it…I'm sorry, I almost did." Daryl growled and ran his hand through his hair real quick.

" 'Nough of this!" Daryl yelled out and he kicked the bars to Beth's door to push the inch or so it had opened back to closed. Daryl then reached through the bars and pushed the table out of the door jam so that he could open the door.

"You need to stay back! I don't want to get you sick!" Beth cried out, making Daryl curse.

"Dammit woman, I've already been exposed before now when I helped kill the Walkers in Cellblock D and I've been in here long enough that I'm sure it's just an extra dosing of it. Rick, go see Hershel, I'm gonna help Beth get settled and then we're gonna have a counsel meetin' to determine what to do." Rick glanced cautiously between the two before nodding and leaving them.

Daryl shifted uneasily for a moment before stepping over the blood to pick up Beth and the lantern. "If ya want, I can move ya to yer own isolation area? I'll tell yer dad and Maggie where ya are and that'll be it, a'right?" Daryl looked down at Beth as she began gasping for air again. He knelt beside her and held the pieces of her long hair that fell out of its ponytail back as she began coughing and choking again while rubbing circles on her back. "I don' know how to help ya, sweetheart…I'm no doctor…and we've cleaned out every pharmacy around us of medicine…I don' know what else t'do…" He let out a sigh of relief when her coughs settled and she wiped the blood off her face with her shirt again. His eyes fell to the bloodstains and how they had almost turned her entire shirt red.

"Ask…daddy…bout a vet clinic…" she gasped out and Daryl looked at her funny with her response. Beth let out a tired sigh before turning to face him with watery eyes. "Should…I…" she took a deep breath and shook her head. "Never mind, it's a dumb question."

"No, come on, ask me," he pushed and she sighed.

"Should I have let Carol in?" the question escaped Beth's lips quietly and her eyes stayed glued to the floor. Daryl sat there stunned for a moment before getting angry.

"Is that what ya want? To give up and die?"

"…No…I want to live…but I don't want to die by drowning on my own blood. I don't want to turn into a walker…Daryl…please, don't let me turn into one of those things…" Beth said all of this while she wiped her hands clean of the blood on them and reached out to grab one of Daryl's hands but stopped when she saw that her hands still had dried blood on them. Daryl grabbed her hands anyways and forced her to look him in the eyes.

"I ain't gonna let you die, Beth Greene, and you sure as hell ain't ever gonna become one of them. You understand me? Now, you're supposed t'be the one with the hope and faith. You're supposed t' remind me to keep hope and faith. I need you to continue to do that, okay? Now, come on. I'm gonna move ya to another isolation area." Beth nodded and accepted Daryl's help in standing and moving her to another cellblock with a visitation room and window. Once he helped her get comfortable, he stood up and went to the door.

"I'm gonna go find you some medicine, a'right? I need you to keep fightin', Beth. Stay with us…with me and Judith, you understand. We need ya around," and with that, Daryl closed the door and left.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: I don't know anything about medical procedures or anything so if my information in this chapter is incorrect, I do apologize.

**Chapter 3 – **

"It's spread. Everyone who survived the attack in cellblock D, Sasha…Beth…and now others have it. At the moment, Beth is the sickest. She's been struggling to breathe on her own, I'm worried we may need to intubate her…We need antibiotics and perhaps more endotracheal tubes and bags," Hershel said, his voice heavy with concern for his daughter as well as their friends. Daryl did his best to ignore the medical lingo that he didn't understand but could tell by the way that Hershel said it, that it meant bad news if Beth needed one. He drummed on the back of the chair he was sitting backwards in and nodded.

"Problem is, we've searched almost every pharmacy in the area, and then some…Beth did tell me to ask you about vet clinics?" Daryl's voice was extra gravelly and Hershel met his eyes with a look of understanding, though Daryl wasn't quite sure what the understanding was about.

"Beth has a point. I'm not too sure about vet clinics, but there is the Veterinary College fifty miles from here. The medications for animals are the same for humans; people may not have thought to look there."

"A'right, we've wasted enough time talking about this. I'mma take a team out in Zack's car, it's the fastest we got," Daryl practically jumped out of his seat and left the room, Michonne following close behind him. The two of them quickly went about preparing the car for the trip.

"Car's in good shape but its about a quart low," Daryl ground out to Michonne, who nodded.

"I'll take care of it. You go check on her real quick, before we go," Michonne stated calmly, gesturing to the cellblocks. Daryl frowned and opened his mouth to tell her that he didn't know what she was talkin' bout but the look she gave him made him stop. She jerked her head in the direction of the cellblock again before turning to leave. "I'll see if Bob and Tyreese will join us, go." Daryl nodded, wiped his hands on his jeans, and walked back to the cellblock where he had hidden Beth.

"Daddy…you shouldn't be in here," Daryl heard Beth's soft voice through the glass of the window as he approached. Maggie turned and faced him as he approached the window, her lips tight and her eyes bright with tears.

"Now we both know why I'm in here, Bethy. We've all got jobs to do. Drink this tea, it'll help with the fever," Hershel said while helping pull Beth into a semi-sitting up position so that she could drink from the cup he held for her. She took a small sip and smiled.

"That's the tea mama used to make for us, isn't it?" she asked, her voice getting softer. Daryl leaned his forehead against the glass, watching the frail girl. She seemed to have gotten smaller since he last saw her but somehow, her smile still lit up his world. Maggie reached out and put her hand on Daryl's shoulder. The two of them glanced at each other briefly and gave each other tight smiles that didn't reach their eyes. The sound of Beth coughing and choking quickly pulled their attention back to the room in front of them.

Hershel rolled Beth on to her side to help the blood escape. Maggie began heavily sobbing beside Daryl who closed his eyes tightly at the sound. Anger began boiling in his chest and he pushed himself angrily away from the window.

"I've wasted enough time. I've gotta go get those meds or she won't…"

"Daryl! You've been exposed already, help me, we need to intubate her," Hershel called out from the room and Daryl spun back to look at the man. He walked quickly to the cellblock door and threw it open.

"I don't know nothing 'bout this, don't know how I can be of help, Hershel," he grumbled before kneeling down next to the older man and the pale girl in front of him.

"I'll walk ya through it, but the main thing is making sure she doesn't fight us. Bethy has watched me do this with animals in the clinic so she knows what to expect, but feeling it is something altogether different," Hershel instructed, glancing briefly at the man beside him before turning back to his daughter. He reached into his bag and pulled out the tubing and bag and other supplies he needed and quickly began giving instructions to Daryl to have him help hold down Beth's arms as she choked, first on the blood, then on the tubing as it went down her throat.

Panic rose in Daryl's chest as Beth's breathing suddenly seemed to stop and her eyes closed. His heart stopping until he watched as Hershel quickly attached the bag to the tube and squeezed it, making Beth's chest rise and fall with air.

"Jesus," he sighed out in relief. Hershel met his eyes and nodded. Daryl watched Hershel squeeze the bag every few seconds and closed his eyes from the pain of watching that process, knowing that is was the only reason Beth got the necessary air she needed.

"I know…it kills me to see her like this. My own daughter…" Hershel's eyes glanced briefly to Maggie, who was sobbing loudly on the other side of the glass. Daryl painfully watched another squeeze take place on the bag. "Between me, Sasha, and Glenn, we'll do this in rotations." And another squeeze. Daryl put his head in his hands and willed the burn of tears out of his eyes.

"How long…" he started to ask, but shook his head and stopped in mid-question. Another squeeze and Daryl felt a hot tear roll down his cheek.

"As long as it takes, you just need to have faith. Hope never hurt anybody either," Hershel replied, giving the bag another squeeze. "I want you to listen to me, and closely, ya hear?" He paused and Daryl nodded, briefly meeting the older man's eyes before looking back down at Beth. "You've done good, Daryl. Better than good, really. " He paused again and sighed, "you have to understand, she's my youngest. The baby. I love all my children equally, but there is something terrifying and depressing about giving away the baby. I feel better knowing the good man she's found in you though. I see the looks she gives you and the looks you return, always missing each other though. You remind me of my wife and I…

"I just want to stress to you my approval. Look at me," Hershel stressed and Daryl lifted his eyes from Beth's pale face and looked Hershel in the eye. "You understand what I'm saying to you, son?" Another squeeze. Daryl nodded and cleared his throat.

"Aren't you worried about…my age? The difference between us? You must think of me as a dirty old man for this, whatever this is…" He gestured to himself and then to Beth. Hershel grinned.

"Caring for somebody _is_ confusing, regardless of past experiences. It's a hard thing to accept and understand, then it becomes even harder to experience. The other person becomes your world, and that is terrifying and especially in the world we live in where death is everywhere. There's a balance that can be hard to find. Beth is a strong, smart, and perceptive woman. She'll be able to help you through these struggles. It's hard to do, I know from experience, but giving her your trust and opening up to her about your struggles helps to find that balance faster. In answer to your questions, though, I just want to remind you that Beth is more mature for her age, and she is an adult now. The choice of figuring all of this out, however, is between you both," Hershel replied calmly.

"I'm no good for her. She deserves more; she deserves the world, not some dumbass redneck."

"The way I see it, if she cares enough about you, and I believe she does, then you are her world. If you care about her, and you mean it, she will get everything she needs from you. You'll keep her safe, I know you will and that's all I can ask of you…Now, I know it will be tough to do, as it will be for me when I start my rounds with my other patients, but you need to go and get those meds. She's a strong young woman, she'll be here when you get back." Hershel gave the bag another squeeze and Daryl nodded, swallowing past the lump in his throat. He ran his hand gently over Beth's sweat-damp blonde hair and leaned down to put his forehead on her feverish one.

"I'll be back soon, I swear it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – **

Beth could hear and feel everything around her. She felt Daryl's forehead on hers and heard his promise to be back soon. She heard everything her daddy told him and how he responded. If she could have reacted, she would have jumped into Daryl's arms and given him the biggest kiss she could. But she couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She was just so tired and her throat was sore. She could hear and feel the air being pushed into her body by the squeezing of the bag that was now in Glenn's care. Without him, Sasha, or her daddy, Beth knew she would have been dead hours ago, before Daryl had even left to get the medicine he was now risking his life for.

She could only imagine the terror Maggie must be feeling, stuck outside the cellblock watching as her dad, Glenn, and her sister all fought the illness in one way or another. Beth felt the bag and tube jerk suddenly as a gunshot rang nearby and Glenn gave a surprised shout as chaos erupted in another part of the building. Beth could hear Glenn's breathing getting raspier and more labored as time went on and now she could hear him choking slightly. But there was nothing she could do.

"Her…Hershel!" She heard Glenn shout before she heard him collapse beside the bed and she felt panic set in. Her lungs were already burning for a need of air. _Come on, Beth, wake up._ She thought to herself, hearing something walk into the door to her cell and let out a groan. A walker was reaching hopelessly into her room and the two people inside it were slowly dying.

_WAKE UP, DAMMIT! _She shouted internally and fought to push her eyes open. Her lungs felt like they were on fire and she felt her eyes water at the desperate need for air. In her peripheral vision, she could see Glenn laying on his side, coughing and gasping for air with blood and saliva running down his cheek and chin. She slowly lifted her hand to her eyes to clear them off the tears but froze when she saw blood instead.

_This is it,_ she thought, _I'm dead._ Her eyes moved to Glenn again and his glazed eyes met hers for a moment. She saw the fear and concern in them before focusing on his blue lips and paled skin. _But I can save you, Glenn._

Beth shakily began undoing the bag from the tube and fought the blackness that was beginning to see into her vision. Once she had the bag disconnected, she braced herself and began pulling the tube out of her throat. It hurt and she could instantly begin feeling the blood in her lungs. Once that tube was out, she knew she didn't have long to take care of Glenn before she was gone. She could only hope that someone arrived to help him breathe and put her down before she turned. Beth gagged and choked on the tube as it cleared her tonsils and from there she practically ripped it the rest of the way out. Her vision was darkening faster than she had hoped and she felt her body collapse to the floor beside Glenn's.

_Please, God, let me save him first…_ she prayed. The walker at the cell door began fighting harder to get inside the cell, but Beth knew it wouldn't be able to and refocused her hazy vision on Glenn. She didn't have the proper tools to help her intubate him, so she had to do it blindly. Almost literally if the darkening around her vision kept going. She roughly rolled Glenn onto his back, pried his mouth open and forced the tube down his throat, tilting his head more to see what she was doing. His coughing and choking stopped and Beth quickly attached the bag to the tube.

_I hope I got it in correctly,_ she thought to herself and she finished sealing the bag onto the tube and squeezed it. Glenn's chest rose and fell and his eyes drifted shut. _Thank god…Now please, someone…help me…_She gave the bag one more squeeze before darkness consumed her and she collapsed next to Glenn.

**To Maggie**

With the sound of gunshots, Maggie's eyes quickly flew to Rick's with open terror and concern. The fence needed reinforcing, but her family was in there.

"Go, I've got this," he pushed and Maggie halted before nodding and running as fast as she could to the cellblock. _I have to check on Glenn and Beth first!_ She thought to herself and she threw the door open and ran to the visitation window to Beth's room. She froze when she didn't see Beth laying in the bed or Glenn sitting in there with her. The sight of arms reaching through the cell door grabbed her attention and anger boiled in her veins as she watched the Walker trying to get into the cell.

Maggie beat the ax against the cellblock door and almost cried in relief when the door finally gave and opened for her. She quickly pointed her gun at the walker in front of Beth's cell and shot it before kicking its body out of her way so that she could enter the room. What she saw when she looked in made her freeze and her heart stop.

Beth lay unmoving on the floor next to Glenn, blood surrounding her head and pooling out around the both of them. The bag and tube were in Glenn's mouth and his skin was turning a blue-ish color.

"No, no, god please no, Beth!" Maggie raced around Glenn to sit between the two of them and shakily put her fingers on Beth's throat. There was no pulse. A sob tore its way out of Maggie and she collapsed on top of her sister, running her shaking hands over Beth's hair and the side of her face. A shudder from Glenn pulled Maggie's attention to her fiancé and she grabbed the bag with one hand and squeezed it, pushing air into his lungs. Maggie put her other hand on Beth's chest and began doing compressions, attempting CPR.

"Please, don't you leave me Beth…" she choked out around her sobs.

**To Daryl**

The prison gates opened and Daryl slammed on the gas, speeding up the gravel driveway as quickly as the car would let him. The minute he got close enough to the cellblock door, he slammed the car in park and turned it off. He could see Rick running up to them and quickly climbed out of the car.

"How's…" he started but Rick interrupted him.

"There were gunshots. Maggie ran in but I have no idea what's going on," Daryl froze, fear hitting his chest like a ton of bricks. A few screams echoed out of the cellblock and Daryl's head whipped to look in that direction, though he found his feet felt like they were cemented to the ground. Michonne walked around to him and punched his arm, snapping him back to reality.

"Go, you dumbass!" She yelled at him and he turned, running for the open cellblock door. _Whoever left the door open put everyone in this place at risk,_ he found himself internally lecturing. He heard a couple of gunshots ahead of him and then silence. Daryl's eyes flew to the visitation window of Beth's room and his heart seized when he didn't see her. The door to where all of the sick were staying was wide open and Daryl could see numerous bodies lying on the cellblock floor.

He ran into Beth's cell, but froze when he saw Maggie sobbing over Beth's body while she squeezed the bag for Glenn to breathe. Her red rimmed eyes rose to Daryl's and she shook her head.

"No, she's…she's supposed to be…" he ground out and he had to fight to breathe past the lump in his throat and the burn in his chest. He collapsed next to the blonde and laid his forehead on hers again. This time it was cool and clammy to the touch. "Did…did you try CPR?"

"I only…had one hand. I did compressions…" Maggie choked out around her sobs and hiccups. Daryl carefully slid Beth's body closer to him and placed his hands on her chest and began giving her CPR, placing his mouth on hers to push air in with every couple of compressions.

"Daryl…she's…she's gone…" Maggie sobbed out but Daryl ignored her as he continued.

"Please, Beth, please…you have given me hope again. You showed me that there are still good people in this world…you made me see that I can still trust people; that I can trust you. You shattered every damn wall I built around myself…You can't leave me now. I'll have nothing…" Daryl whispered to her between giving her breaths as tears burned down his cheeks. A pair of rushing footsteps approached, but Daryl didn't need to raise his head to know who it was. A broken sob came from Hershel as he took in the sight before him.

A twitch came from Beth's body and Daryl froze, hope blooming in his heart.

"Daryl, she's turnin'" Maggie groaned out but he shook his head, refusing to believe it. The sound of a weak gasp and groan came from the blonde and Daryl's hope was crushed.

"I can't…I can't do it, Beth…Please, don't make me have to do it…"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: I am so sorry about how the last chapter ended! I love cliff hangers but I had not intended to leave the chapter off like that! I was at work and it was slow, so I was updating this story and ran out of time. I wanted to post ASAP so I posted what I had. To make it up to y'all, here is the next chapter!

**Chapter 5 – **

Daryl laid his forehead back on Beth's and he found himself praying. He was never a faithful man due to his horrible childhood and he had spent so much of his life mocking believers that he felt his prayers were landing on deaf ears, but he still thought them. Beth and her family believed, surely that would mean something to the man upstairs and he would answer this one prayer. _Just this one._ He could practically hear Merle yelling at him, cussing him out, calling him a pussy for crying and praying over a dead girl but he couldn't bring himself to stop.

"Please, Beth…" he choked out and her body gave another twitch. He leaned back slightly to look at her face more clearly and watched as thin bead of blood rolled out of the corner of her mouth, down her cheek, and into her hair. A gurgling sound came from her mouth and he lifted his eyes to her closed blue eyes and froze when he saw movement behind the lids. He moved his hand shakily to her throat to feel for a pulse and felt his eyes widen in amazement.

"She's alive…" he whispered to himself as he felt the soft flutter of her heart. It was weak, but it was there. He found himself letting out a surprised laugh and looked to Hershel and Maggie. "She's alive!" he repeated and the room instantly filled with chaos as everyone began doing whatever they could to keep her airways clear.

"Bob has the medicine and iV's and the other medical jumbo I didn't understand," Daryl shouted for Bob and it echoed loudly in the cellblock, making many people cry out in discomfort.

"Did you find more bags and tubes? We can intubate her again until the antibiotics kick in," Hershel asked right as Bob ran in with the bags of medicine and equipment. Bob nodded in answer to Hershel's question and the two of them quickly intubated Beth. Daryl listened to Hershel's instructions and took the bag in his hands, making sure to squeeze it every few seconds while Bob and Hershel began making the IV of medication for the two sick people in the room.

"We should hook Daryl up too, he's been exposed more than anyone else and after giving CPR to Beth, he may have accidentally ingested some of her blood," Hershel pointed out while handing his bandana to Daryl, who just realized he had blood drying around his mouth and chin. He accepted the cloth and wiped his mouth and chin as clean as he could before he froze and shifted uncomfortably as the two doctors hooked him, Glenn, and Beth up with IV's.

"I have to help get this medicine to everyone else. Maggie, Daryl…you keep going. If you need a break, let me know," Hershel clapped a hand on Daryl's shoulder and squeezed it gratefully. Daryl met his eyes and could see what Hershel was trying to say.

_Thank you for not giving up on her._

It made him feel incredibly selfish. During the whole time he was giving Beth CPR, he hadn't thought once about how Hershel and Maggie were feeling at the loss of their daughter or sister, depending on which one you talked to. He fought to bring her back for him. Briefly, during one of the breaths he pushed into her body, he thought about how uncertain he felt about living without the small blonde woman in his life. Daryl's eyes traveled to Maggie's and he saw the defeat and regret in them.

"I shouldn't have given up on her so quickly…" Maggie whispered. "I just…it felt like a decision. Her or Glenn…and when I didn't feel a pulse…I just…" her voice trailed off and Daryl closed his eyes as anger began to creep back into his blood. He squeezed the bag harder than intended and Maggie stopped talking. He knew she could tell he was mad at her. He forced himself to think about it from her perspective. If he had to choose between Merle or Beth, who would he have fought to keep alive?

It was a ridiculous thought, he realized. He would have alternated between the two or yelled for help in hopes that another person would come in and help him keep one of them alive. Why hadn't Maggie done the same? Instead, he had come in to the cell to find Beth laying in her own blood, her skin tinted blue and pale with Maggie sobbing over her while both hands squeezed the bag keeping Glenn alive. Daryl couldn't tell if the vision in his head made him angrier or not.

After a while, Hershel came back into the room, sat beside Daryl, and ran his hand through his daughter's blonde hair. He reached a weathered hand to Maggie and Glenn and smiled at them.

"I think this has restored my faith," he said calmly and a sob escaped Maggie as she nodded. "Daryl it's been over 24 hours since you left for the medicine and you're exhausted. Go get cleaned up and get some rest, I will take care of Bethy." Daryl looked at Hershel like he was crazy and the older man smiled. "I know, but you need to rest and shower."

"You sayin' I stink?" Daryl growled out but he couldn't keep the grin from lifting the corner of his lips as he said it. Hershel gave a tired chuckle.

"Yes, I am. Becareful with your IV in the shower," Hershel instructed and Daryl frowned. He opened his mouth to argue but stopped when he saw the pointed look Hershel sent him.

"A'right, I'll shower but I'm gonna come back here and rest here," he replied, giving the bag one more squeeze before he stood up and reluctantly left. After his shower, he walked sleepily to his cell to drop off his towel and dirty clothes.

"How is everyone? Beth and Glenn?" Rick asked as he approached the tired man.

"Glenn's hooked up with the bag thing, intubated or whatever Hershel calls it. Maggie's helping him breathe at the moment. Beth…she's better now. She apparently saved Glenn's life but it cost her…we lost her for a bit…" Daryl swallowed heavily at the memory of realizing the woman was dead. Rick leaned heavily against the wall and ran his hand through his hair.

"But she's okay now?" Rick asked and Daryl nodded with a small smile. "Thank god, how many did we lose in there?" Daryl shrugged. He had spent the entire time with Beth, he hadn't even thought to investigate the rest of the cellblock. After he had heard the gunshots stop, he had assumed that it was all over. Another thing to feel guilty about. Daryl swayed slightly as exhaustion hit him again and Rick carefully guided him into his cell.

"No, I'm gonna rest near Beth," he mumbled quietly as Rick helped him to lay on his cot.

"Take a short nap here, then go back to her," Rick suggested but it fell on deaf ears. Daryl fell asleep the moment his head landed on his pillow.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Emotionally charged chapters are some of my favorite to write…

**Chapter 6 – **

When Daryl woke up the next morning, he panicked when he realized he was in his cell and not with Beth. He had been so exhausted after fighting for the medicine at the Vet college and then fighting to save Beth's life, that his original plan to just shower, put away his towel, and return to Beth had not happened. Guilt tore through his stomach, along with fear. What if Beth hadn't made it through the night? He liked to think that someone would have come and woken him to tell him, but at the same time he wasn't sure if Maggie or Hershel could stand the grief long enough to come find him and tell him. Daryl stood up and stretched. He grabbed his crossbow that was leaning against the wall in his cell and he struggled to remember if he had brought it with him last night. He couldn't even recall it being with him in Beth's cell. Someone else must have brought it up for him. He felt stupid for having left it where ever he did.

Daryl walked out of his cell and down the stairs to the common area they used to eat in. He froze on the bottom step when he saw Carol and Rick talking in hushed tones. In the few days it had been since the flu outbreak started, Daryl had let himself get wrapped up in what was going on with Beth and getting the medicine to save her that he had almost forgotten what Carol had done to Karen and David, and what she had almost done to Beth. Now, though, he could feel the rage boiling in his blood. Carol met his eyes from where she was and he walked over to where her and Rick were talking.

"What are we gonna do with her, Rick? She was gonna kill Beth and she killed Karen and David, she can't just stay here! We can't ignore this any longer," Daryl realized his voice was quiet despite the rage tumbling inside of him. His words were thick with the emotion though and he could see Carol flinch slightly at them.

"Daryl," Carol began but Daryl interrupted her, pushing his way right into her face, putting his forehead against hers and using pressure to make her lean back. She shifted slightly, a sign to him that she was uncomfortable with him being so close and that she could see and feel his rage. _Good_, he thought.

"No, you don't get ta tell me nothin'. _Everyone_ trusted you. _Beth, Karen, and David_ trusted you**. **_**I**_ trusted you! Then you go about _murdering_ them. You tried ta convince Beth ta let ya _kill_ 'er. You toyed with her emotions and you made her think it was somethin' that _absolutely __**had**_ ta be done! That she _absolutely __**had**_ ta _die_ ta save everyone's lives! You knew the guilt of the idea tha' she would get everyone else sick would eat her up, tha' she would come crawling out of that cell, weak an' feverish, and that she would let you _**stab**_ her _**in the head**_ and _**kill**_ her, all to save everyone she loves and cares 'bout! You toyed with her, you made her _**fear**_ everyone who walked by her cell. Made 'er wonder if the next person who walked by was gonna be tha one ta realize that she was a risk tha' needed ta go! _**All**_ of _**that**_ to _**Beth**_ alone.

"Don't you even get me started on what you did to Karen and David, _Bitch_." He roared into her face, recalling the pale, _terrified_ face Beth had on her face when he first saw her in Cellblock A after it had happened. Daryl suddenly remember Rick was in the room with them. He was surprised Rick wasn't trying to pull him away from her. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rick leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Watching them. He was _relaxed._ Daryl would _never_ hit a woman and he knew that. Evidently, Rick knew that as well. He was glad to see the trust and faith Rick was placing in him at that moment.

Because as much as he swore he would never touch a woman in any manner other than whatever he and they were mutually comfortable with (a couple of his past lays he'd had before the world went to shit had come awful close to _his_ discomfort level and those were almost enough to make him want to stop finding women to fuck), Carol's actions had him wishing he could raise a hand and teach her a lesson about messing with his Beth.

He paused for a moment. _His_ Beth? He couldn't deny how he felt about the young woman and apparently everyone but Beth and him had known about his feelings towards her. _Or maybe she did know how I felt_, he thought to himself, recalling the numerous touches and hugs the two had shared before the flu started its rampage. The thought made his rage simmer down and he stepped back from Carol slightly and took a deep breath. He could see a small smile form on Rick's face at this and he frowned. What he wouldn't do to wipe that smile off his face right now. At the same time, seeing the smile made Daryl feel slightly better. It almost like an acceptance from Rick. _Hell_, he thought, _I'm becoming a pussy and thinking too much into things_.

"You're right, I did all of that," Carol admitted calmly, as if Daryl hadn't just been roaring into her face but had been helping her plant flowers in the yard and then frolicked in the fields with her instead. Daryl felt the rage in his blood exacerbate at her calm admission. "I tried to get her to see it the way I did, and still do. The whole incident last night with all of the deaths and casualties may not have happened if Beth had stopped being cowardly in her cell. We would have never lost those people or almost lost Glenn if she would have let me take care of it."

"_Cowardly?!_ You call that being _cowardly_?!" Daryl yelled and he could have sworn he heard Rick say "here we go" as he stood up and began to approach the two. "Beth decided to _fight_ and _stay alive_, something that, if you recall, was a _strength_ she didn't have on the farm several months, to almost a year ago!" Rick put his hand on Daryl's shoulder and Daryl shoved it off.

"Get offa me! I don' ever wanna see yer face again, ya hear me, woman?!" Daryl shouted at Carol, who looked near tears at his words. Deep below his rage, he felt his heart squeeze. He was losing another friend. One he had worked hard to overcome his insecurities and discomfort to build. "Rick, what's the decision? I say kick 'er out. Whose ta say she won't try ta kill Beth for rattin' on her? What if a _cold_ comes through and Carl catches it?! She might go all Rambo on us again and kill anyone infected, child or not!" Rick heaved a heavy sigh and nodded.

"Daryl, I need you to go calm down. Go check on Beth," Daryl opened his mouth to yell at Rick for telling him to calm down but Rick's tired, heavy eyes met his and he froze. "Trust me, you need to go see her." Daryl nodded and walked away, gripping the strap of his crossbow that hung across his chest tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Carol, we need to go on a run…" he heard Rick say. Daryl whipped back around to yell at him for forgiving Carol so easily but the words died in his mouth when he met Rick's eyes again.

**To Beth, the night before**

The darkness was relaxing and peaceful. There were no gunshots or screams in pain. No walker groans. Just blissful silence.

"Bethy," a soft voice called out to her. Beth looked around but only saw darkness. "Wake up, Bethy. Return to him. He _needs_ you. Listen, you can hear him…" the soft voice said and Beth _could_ hear somebody whispering to her. The voice sounded like it was in pain and she could hear chokes of sobs between the words.

"Please, Beth, please…you have given me hope again. You showed me that there are still good people in this world…you made me see that I can still trust people; that I can trust you. You shattered every damn wall I built around myself…You can't leave me now. I'll have nothing…"

It was Daryl. _Daryl_ was begging her. Why was he begging her?

"You need to wake up," the voice came again. Beth fought hard to place that voice. She _knew_ that voice.

"M…Momma?" Beth called out. She suddenly felt pressure on her chest. It was uncomfortable, borderline _painful_. "It hurts! Why?" _Thump_. Beth felt a heart beat in her chest and froze. She hadn't felt that yet…had she been dead? "No, I wanna stay with daddy and Maggie. I wanna stay with Daryl!" _Thump_…_thump_. Tears flowed from her eyes as the pain and pressure on her chest increased and suddenly she could hear cries and begging around her. Her lungs felt like she had swallowed a pool. She felt her body twitch as it tried to grab air.

"Daryl, she's turnin'!" she could hear Maggie groan out through her tears and Beth felt fear grip her tightly. She tried to scream. She tried to tell them _I'm not turnin', I'm here! I can't breathe!_ But nothing would come out. Nothing except a groan and she knew _that_ wasn't a good sound to make. If Beth could have laughed just then, she would have. The irony she felt at that moment.

"I can't…I can't do it, Beth…Please, don't make me have to do it…" she heard Daryl begged and she sobbed. The light she could see through her eyelids was fading again. She couldn't breathe. _Please, Daryl! See me!_

"Please, Beth…" she felt his forehead on hers and forced herself to give her body another jerking motion. She could feel herself getting heavier again, the darkness trying to consume her once more and she fought. She was losing herself to the darkness when she felt it. His calloused fingers on her neck.

"She's alive…"

_Yes, Daryl, I am. I'm alive. I'm here for you. I love you. Help me._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – **

**Beth, last night continued**

After Daryl announced to the room that Beth was alive, she could feel and hear chaos erupt around her. They intubated her again and Daryl hung close, following Hershel's instructions on keeping her breathing. She felt the pin prick of the needle from the IV enter her arm and slowly she began to feel exhaustion entering her body. _Perhaps the medicine makes ya drowsy?_ She thought

_"Daryl it's been over 24 hours since you left for the medicine and you're exhausted. Go get cleaned up and get some rest, I will take care of Bethy." _She barely heard her father say before exhaustion grabbed her and dragged her into darkness.

Beth began to feel the darkness around her deepening, growing colder and she struggled to pull air into her lungs. _Thump_….her heart gave a weak, shuddering beat and she frowned.

_No, I'm not leaving them again!_ She screamed internally but she felt so tired. And weak. _I can't leave them. I love Daryl and he needs to know that! He needs to hear it. He needs to know that he's a good man. Hell, he'll prolly be the last man standing in this world. He'll do everything he can to insure everyone else survives for as long as possible. He's our hero._

_ Maggie needs to know that I will always love her, even when she's bossy and over protective. Glenn needs to know that he's the best brother-in-law I could ever ask for. That I'm proud to call him family, that I'm glad he found Maggie. That I know he will always do everything he can to keep her safe and make sure she feels loved._

_ And Daddy…he needs to know that I heard Mama…that I'm proud of him for stepping up and doing what he knows is right, even when it put him at risk._

_"Bethy?!"_ she barely heard beyond the darkness.

Beth felt a soft sigh leave her body and everything went still and cold.

**Back to Daryl, the next day**

Rage still roared through Daryl's body as he stomped his way to Beth's cell. As he neared the room, he saw Maggie sitting up and talking with Glenn. She looked up and smiled, but it was a sad smile that didn't reach her eyes. Daryl felt his chest constrict at the look.

"Where's…Where's Beth?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. Maggie stood up and walked out of the cell to stand beside Daryl.

"Daddy moved her last night. She's down this hall," Maggie led the way down the hallway and Daryl diligently followed. The two came to another hall of cells and met Hershel as he walked out of one of the cells.

"How's Beth?" Daryl asked and Hershel smiled.

"We had a couple more scares last night but she's in there resting right now. She woke up for the first time about an hour ago. She's been asking about you, if you want to see her," Hershel stepped aside as he talked and Daryl frowned at the older man.

"What do you mean 'a couple more scares'?" he asked gruffly, not yet moving even though he really wanted to. Hershel sighed tiredly and Maggie put her hand on his shoulder.

"We lost her a couple of times," she said quietly. "She just…went still and her heart stopped. We took turns watching her and reviving her throughout the night but she's responding to the antibiotics and is breathing on her own now. Go on, get in there Daryl, before I put my boot up your ass."

"Maggie," Hershel chided but put his hand on Daryl's shoulder and gave a slight push to get him moving. Daryl growled slightly at the two of them before walking into the dark cell and looking at the pale, thin blonde laying on the cot in front of him. Someone, he imagined Maggie, had cleaned her up and changed her clothes from the bloody ones she had been in when he last saw her. Her hair was combed and braided over one shoulder. The IV was in her right arm and the bag hung on a zip-tie on the bed. Her eyes were closed but her breathing was steady and he felt himself relax at the sight of it. His eyes followed He quietly pulled the chair closer to the bed and raised a shaky hand to gently hold hers.

Beth felt the gentle touch of calloused fingers around her hand and knew immediately who was there with her. She forced her eyes open and blinked away the bleary feeling before meeting the dark blue eyes of Daryl Dixon. She immediately felt butterflies of happiness burst through her stomach and chest and she smiled at the man in front of her. His lips tilted up into a smile of his own and Beth felt herself blush slightly at the realness of it. It was a real, full blown smile. Her eyes traveled back to his and she saw they were moist.

"Hey," his deep voice was soft in volume but rough and Beth felt herself calm as the sound of it washed over her.

"Hi," she replied softly. Her throat was slightly sore from the past few days of illness and lack of use and Daryl turned to grab a water bottle behind him. He helped her sit up and drink from it before lowering her back to the cot before resealing the bottle and setting it on the floor beside him. Beth smiled gratefully at him and grasped his hand tightly in hers when he was done.

"Are you okay?" she asked him when she saw his eyes were still moist. He laughed and shook his head.

"You're the one who has been sick, the one who…" his voice gave out and he cleared his throat. Beth knew what he was going to say, she was the one who _died a couple of times last night,_ "and you're asking if _I'm_ okay? You're unbelievable, Greene." He gave her a small smirk and she smiled in return.

"A good unbelievable or bad?" she asked, feeling slightly insecure. She had heard him talking to her, she knew how he felt about her but now that she was getting better, she was concerned. People change in stressful times. He may have just trying to be supportive. Using the knowledge that she had feelings for him to try and get her to fight and stay alive. He smiled softly and squeezed her hand.

"Good. Too good, Beth."

"No, there's only one definition of _too good_, only one name under that title. _Daryl_. Everyone owes you for saving them. I _owe_ you. You've saved my life countless of times now, Daryl. You're a good man. _Too good_," she replied softly. Daryl frowned at her and shook his head.

"You may need to remind me of that every once in a while," he mumbled.

"Okay," she replied with a nod. A comfortable silence fell between the two but Beth could see a struggle going on in Daryl's eyes. She gently placed her hand on his cheek. He flinched slightly at the contact but then leaned his face slightly into it making her smile more. She felt a tear roll down his cheek and brushed it away with her thumb. She opened her mouth to say something but he interrupted her, anger at himself in his voice.

"I know, I'm sitting here crying like a pussy," he growled out. He leaned away from her hand and she dropped it back to the bed.

"That's not what I was going to say, Daryl," she scolded softly. He looked at her doubtfully and she sat up, ignoring his attempt to push her back down. "I was going to tell you _it's okay_. This whole ordeal has been _terrifying_ for me, I can only imagine how it must have felt being outside of this cellblock. _It's okay to cry_, Daryl." His eyes met hers for a moment before he crumpled in front of her. Her arms immediately wrapped around him, albeit somewhere awkwardly due to the IV of antibiotics she was still hooked up to.

Daryl's arms wrapped themselves tightly around her small frame and he put his head in the space between her shoulder and neck, inhaling deeply her smell around his tears. Beth put one of her hands in his hair and gently massaged his scalp.

"I thought you were gone…" he choked out against her shoulder. "I found myself thinking that…" he stopped and sighed against her. Beth waited a moment but when he didn't say anything more she sighed.

"I heard you…when I first died. I heard you talking to me. Its part of what brought me back…Mama's voice was…so soothing and there weren't any walkers or screams or feelings of being afraid or lost…but then Mama told me to listen and I heard you." She heard him suck in a breath and she was sure her telling him this embarrassed him. It probably mortified him. She would rather tell him and have him know that she had heard him then it be this big secret that made their interactions tense and awkward. Daryl leaned back and met her eyes.

"I thought I couldn't live without you," he said softly and Beth felt her breath hitched.

"Daryl, I…I've got somethin' to say, and I get it if you don't want to hear it…but I need to say it," Beth put her hands on the sides of his face and used her thumbs to brush away the remaining tears that were there. He looked at her, his doubts and insecurities rising to shine in his eyes again. Beth smiled and took a deep breath.

"Daryl, I fought as hard as I could to come back to you. To tell you…that I have fallen in love with you, Daryl Dixon," Beth blushed as she whispered the last of her words and Daryl leaned forward to put his forehead against hers, relief flashing over his features. He had thought she was going to tell him she couldn't or didn't want to be with him. He hadn't expected her to say that she loved him. He took a deep breath.

"And I love you, Beth Greene."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8** –

Shock was trying to take over Beth's body. _Daddy…_ she thought sorrowfully. Her legs and lungs burned from running so soon after being so ill. She was far from ready for this amount of running but she knew they couldn't stop. Her eyes lifted to the back of Daryl's head. She desperately wished that she could ask him to stop or to slow down. She was gasping for air and her knees buckled with each step but she refused to fall. She couldn't let herself become a burden on the quiet man in front of her.

The two burst through a line of trees and a walker immediately tried to grab Beth. There were so many walkers around them that Daryl had informed her to just shoot them and not worry about stealth, so she raised her gun to shoot it and froze when there was only a _click_ sound. She was out of ammo. A bolt flew straight into the walker's temple and Daryl grabbed her arm, pushing her to run by while he killed a second walker.

Beth pushed herself to run through the trees and into a field of tall grass, turning occasionally to make sure Daryl was there behind her. Her eyes met his briefly each time before he would look away with a nod to keep going. His silence was unnerving for Beth. Only days ago they had admitted their love for the other. Things had been awkward at first, just as she had expected. Especially after Rick returned from a run and explained that he had left Carol behind. She could see Daryl's internal struggle with the situation. Beth was secretly glad the woman was gone. She had found herself fearful of the moments she had been left alone while Daryl went to eat or shower (he never left her side otherwise) and she felt much safer knowing that the woman who had filled her nightmares was no longer in the same area as her. But she knew of the close friendship Daryl had had with the woman and she felt stabs of guilt at her happiness over the situation knowing how badly he must be hurting over it.

On top of that struggle, Daryl had also been unsure of what to do or say now that their feelings were out in the open but Beth had been able to calm his nerves and awkwardness over the past couple of days. Gentle touches or words here and there, one kiss right before the Governor showed up with a tank at the prison gates.

Right before her father…

Beth came to a sudden stop, making Daryl curse as he almost ran into her, and began coughing, her hands on her knees as her recovering lungs fought to grab the air they needed. She collapsed and laid on her back in a small clearing in the grass, sucking in large gulps of air. Daryl joined her, exhaustion evident in his body. They had been running for a while now, Beth wasn't sure how long, but they hadn't stopped to eat or rest. Just running away from their home, their family.

Beth glanced briefly at the man beside her but he refused to meet her gaze. He seemed angry but Beth couldn't tell if it was at her or their situation. Maybe it was both?

Days, and some moonshine, later, Beth would finally understand his silence and anger. She would finally understand why he was shutting her out again. Why he slipped back into his old ways of being quiet. Why he seemed to not give a crap about their family, or even about her.

Guilt.

The man in front of her, the one she held tightly in her arms with her head resting on his shoulder blades while he cried felt guilty because he had given up on finding the Governor, the man who murdered her father and destroyed their home. Beth didn't allow herself to think about the "_what if_'_s_" but they crossed Daryl's mind every time he looked at her. The sorrow and pain she held in her eyes while she pushed her own tears down nearly killed him.

_If I hadn't given up, her father would still be alive. We would still have our home_, he thought. It was eating him up inside. But then her arms wrapped around him from behind and she held him to her tightly. She was comforting him, even though she was the one to have lost her father and it made him realize that she didn't blame him. Through this hug, he realized that she was telling him it wasn't his fault. He felt a huge weight lift off of his shoulders and chest. He thought over the words the two of them had yelled at each other and immediately felt guilty over the terrible things he had said.

_I am really lousy at loving this woman_, he thought as he recalled telling her everyone was dead and she should get used to that idea.

"_I know you just look at me and see another dead girl!"_ That had stung. It was far from what he saw when he looked at her. He had hoped she would know that by now, but he realized his coldness to her since their escape had probably put doubt and insecurities into her mind. He felt her arms loosen from around him as she leaned out of the hug. Her hand on his shoulder made him turn to face her.

"You're wrong," he told her softly. Her wide blue eyes narrowed as she tried to think what she was wrong about. "I don't look at ya and see just another dead girl, Beth Greene. I look at you and I see…" he sighed and ran his hand through his sweaty soaked hair. "I see a beautiful, strong, capable woman…" he mumbled. He was glad for the alcohol in his system, liquid courage and all that. "And, 'm sorry. I've been a royal ass hat to ya lately."

Beth's blue eyes widened slightly before she smiled brightly at him and nodded. Her hand moved from his shoulder to his hand and grabbed it, pulling him back to the house.

As the night wore on, Daryl began to feel more at ease with Beth. The guilt he had been holding washed away with every word and smile she gave him. They shared stories easily, something that surprised even him. He loved and trusted the young woman in front of him but he had been worried about sharing his past with her. He feared she would become scared of who he was, what had happened to him, and the emotional baggage he carried and she would bolt. He feared she would leave him alone in this world.

"I'll be gone someday," she told him softly and Daryl's heart clenched.

"Stop," he told her immediately but she continued. He didn't want to hear this. He had already told her, almost a week ago; when she was still in the cell recovering that he couldn't live without her. Hearing her talk about it so calmly was killing him. He didn't want to be alone.

"You're gonna miss me when I'm gone, Daryl Dixon," she told him with a smile. Daryl growled and grabbed Beth's hand and pulled her to him.

"I _love_ you, Beth Greene. If I lost you, there'd be nothing left for me to live for," he growled out before pressing his lips to hers in a heated kiss that burned through their veins. "When you go, it'll be over my dead body. I ain't gonna let anythin' happen to you, sweetheart." He spoke against her lips before peppering more kisses against her lips and covering her body with his.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9** –

Day in, day out, Daryl thought back to that beautiful night on the porch of the moonshine still.

_"I love you, Beth Greene. If I lost you, there'd be nothing left for me to live for," he growled out before pressing his lips to hers in a heated kiss that burned through their veins. "When you go, it'll be over my dead body. I ain't gonna let anythin' happen to you, sweetheart." He spoke against her lips before peppering more kisses against her lips and covering her body with his._

They didn't have sex that night, much to Beth's annoyance. He refused to have her first time be while they were drunk and on the grimy floor of the shit house they were staying in. Beth had argued but Daryl had been adamant. Then a couple of days later, she stepped in that animal trap. Then they'd found the funeral home.

Then she was just gone.

_"I ain't gonna let anythin' happen you, sweetheart." _

Daryl should have known better than to make that promise. On one hand, he was glad she was gone. Then she wouldn't have had to meet Joe and his group, witness the horrible attack on Rick, Carl, and Michonne, or fight through the escape at Terminus.

On the other hand, Daryl _needed_ her with him in a way he had never needed someone around before. He desperately needed to know if she was still alive. His blue eyes moved to Maggie, who was snuggled and sleeping contentedly in Glenn's arms. She had not asked if anyone knew the whereabouts of her sister. Not once.

Beth had been fiercely loyal to her sister, arguing for them to track the rest of their family down. Yet her sister didn't even ask about her. Not once. Daryl was getting angrier with every passing moment that Maggie ignored the missing person.

Daryl was brought from his thoughts as Rick sat down beside him.

"It doesn't seem right, does it?" The ex-sheriff asked, also looking at Maggie. Daryl grunted in response. Rick hadn't been expecting an actual response to his question, the hunter beside him had barely spoken since Terminus. "She hasn't asked about Beth once...did you tell her about Beth being alive?" Rick was no fool. He knew a broken hearted person when he saw one and Daryl was definitely one. Daryl gave a small shake of his head to say no and Rick sighed.

"Is there any hope of us finding her?" The man asked and was surprised to see Daryl look up at him and meet his eyes.

"Fuck yea, there is. She always reminded me that keeping faith and hope alive was important. So that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna keep faith and hope that we'll find 'er. She'll prolly hate my guts though." Daryl replied, his voice heavy with pain and lack of use.

"Why's that?" Rick asked and Daryl sighed.

"I promised her nothin' bad would happen, that I'd keep her safe. And then she got taken and I gave up at the first obstacle. I gave up on her and left with those fuckers..."

"If I remember correctly, Daryl, you did save her. From what you told me, that funeral home was overrun. With her injury, she didn't stand a chance to fight them off with you. Neither one of you would have survived." Rick reasoned as Daryl looked at his boots and poked his crossbow into the dirt, listening attentively. "I think it was a set up, honestly. Whoever took Beth tried to kill you with a herd of walkers and lured her out. I have a feeling that if you had both come out, together, they would have killed you and taken her anyways."

Daryl nodded. "I've been thinkin' the same thing. Those fuckers have another thing comin' though..."

"What's that?" Rick asked.

"They don't know I survived. And I'm gonna kill every single one of them when I find them."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **I haven't said anything in the past chapters, and I do apologize for that but thank you so much for the reviews! They've been so lovely and I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! I haven't fully decided who I think took Beth, so I decided to just come up with my own baddies for the sake of this story.

**This chapter is DARK, but don't worry! The baddies just wanted to rile Daryl up and they get more than they bargained for afterwards.**

**Maybe I'm just a negative nelly but I really worry that the reunion scene will be brutal, whenever we get it…**

**Chapter 10 – **

"Why are we stopping here? Shouldn't we start heading to DC now with Eugene?" Maggie asked and Daryl clenched his hands into fists. Maggie had asked this question many times over the past few days. Daryl did his best to ignore her and looked at the leaf covered ground in front of him for tracks. He and Rick had determined to search the area around Terminus for signs of Beth or her kidnappers before moving on. It was a long shot, seeing how far away they were from the funeral home she had been taken from but they figured that with a car, the kidnappers could have gone a great distance very easily. They hadn't had any luck so far but Daryl was eternally grateful for Rick keeping the peace with the group. The two of them had kept quiet about what they were doing and Maggie was the only one to ask any questions.

Daryl's eyes glanced quickly at Abraham. The redhead had been quiet about their search, which Daryl figured was extremely rare at the rate that the man shared his stories. Rick was about twenty feet from Daryl and gave a low whistle, their sign that they gave each other if they had found something. Daryl pushed past Maggie and joined Rick, looking at the tracks the sheriff had found. They were recent, made by two people. Most likely men, judging by their size. One's gait seemed a little off, making Daryl think that perhaps he was injured. Having no clue who they were looking for, Daryl took it as a possible sign and scouted ahead while Rick talked with the group about setting up camp there. Daryl heard the crunch of someone walking behind him and turned. Upon seeing Abraham following him, he resumed following the tracks, muttering under his breath.

"Hey, I…uh….Rick, he told me what we're doing out here," Abraham started and Daryl grunted, acknowledging that the man had spoken but not offering anything in return. "I understand you care for this girl, but…can I just ask…how long has it been since she was taken? What are the odds…"

"Shut up," Daryl growled out, turning and walking briskly to Abraham. "She's alive."

"If you're so sure, then so am I…but what sort of condition do you think she'll be when you find her? We need to make a plan, man. If she's in bad shape, she won't survive the trip to DC. Especially with winter approaching as quickly as it is," Daryl glared at the man and he held up his hands in surrender. "I'm just sayin', it may be something to think about. Maybe we should find a couple vehicles first. If she's in bad shape, us walking to DC is going to take longer. It'll be harder for her than if we have vehicles.

"Then go look for vehicles. Leave me tha hell alone," Daryl spat as he turned and resumed following the trail. Rick jogged to catch up to the hunter and the two followed the trail more quickly. They walked almost an hour before they heard or saw anything. The hunter and the sheriff could see the two men walking ahead of them now and could even hear the two talking. One of them was visibly limping. They were loud and careless about the possibility of attracting walkers to them. Daryl assumed they thought they were cocky and could handle anything that came their way. If they were the people to take Beth, they had another thing comin'. They'd _wish_ they had attracted a herd of walkers by the time he was done with them. Rick signaled for Daryl to move to the other side of the two men and the two split ways to corner them.

"Man, I need to take a break…" one of the men called out and the other groaned.

"Seriously?! We took one not that long ago. Stop being such a pussy and let's go," the other argued.

"No way, man. That blonde bitch got me good. My leg is seriously hurting." Daryl saw red when he heard the man talk about a "blonde bitch." What were the odds that the blonde he was talking about was Beth? Daryl advanced quickly on the men, his crossbow up and ready to take one of them out and his approach made them finally take notice of him and Rick. Rick had his gun leveled on the other's temple before either man could say a word.

The injured man quickly dropped his gun and raised his hands in surrender while the other scoffed and looked between Daryl and Rick. The man's eyes narrowed on Daryl before he laughed loudly.

"Look, man, it's the dumbass redneck! He survived the funeral home," he said with a smirk. The injured man stared at Daryl in awe before laughing as well. Daryl dropped his crossbow and punched the man closest to him, who was the injured one. Rage filled the hunter as he pummeled the other man with his fists while Rick kept his gun trained on the other.

"Daryl, we need to find out where she is," Rick told him calmly. The man in front of Rick turned and swung a fist at the sheriff, who quickly dodged and the two began their own brawl. It ended quickly, with Rick knocking the man upside his head and pinning him to the forest ground. Daryl stepped back from the injured man and shook out his hand. A quick glimpse at his hand told him he may have broken a bone in it but the rage in him hid any pain. The man he had been punching was out cold from the beating he had just gotten while the man under Rick was fighting to stay conscious.

"Give 'im here, Rick, I'm gonna get some answers," Daryl growled out and the sheriff helped him sit the other man up. "You listen her, ya bastard. Yer gonna tell me where she is, or so help me yer gonna wish you had found some walkers instead of us."

"I ain't gonna tell you shit, redneck. 'Cept I now know why you kept her around. She was a nice piece a tail, that one. Feisty too," the man laughed and Daryl growled. He ignored the _was_ in the man's sentence and focused instead on delivering a hell of a punch to the man's face. "Ya can hit me all ya want, it ain't gonna change anything, brother. She's dead now, walkers got her."

"I don't believe you and I ain't your brother," Daryl replied. "You're gonna tell me where she is. Right. Now." He punctuated his words by breaking two fingers on the man's hand, making him cry out.

"Jesus! What, did you love her or something?" The man gasped out around his pain. Daryl growled and broke another finger. The man laughed through his pain. "That's rich, man. I can see why ya loved her, all smooth skin and innocent. You obviously didn't get ta fuck her though, did ya? That's a shame, cuz the noises she made were just…"

"Shut. The. Hell. Up." Daryl interrupted the man with another punch. He was surprised when Rick pulled him back and almost yelled at the sheriff for interrupting when he watched Rick pummel the man a couple of times himself.

"You don't talk about her that way, d'you understand me?" Rick was quiet but his voice was heavy with anger and the man visibly flinched at the sound of it.

"What? You gotta thing for the bitch too? That's gotta make for an awkward friendship between you two," the man laughed before leaning over to spit out blood. Rick grabbed him roughly by the hair and yanked his head back.

"This man here, this _redneck_ as you called him. He's my _brother_ and he loves that woman. That makes her my _sister_. I don't take too kindly to people who hurt my family. So you're gonna tell us where she is." Daryl felt an odd feeling in his chest at Rick's words. He wasn't able to contemplate the feeling for long as he noticed the other man was beginning to come to with a groan. He pulled the second man into a sitting position and forced him to look at him.

"I'm gonna ask you this once, jackass. Where. Is. She?"

"It was all a setup, man, and you were the third couple to fall for it. We saw that pretty girl with ya at the funeral home. It's unfair that a redneck like you gets a girl like that while we had nothin'. The couples before ya were just as lucky too. So we did what we do best. We lured them biters to the house using Mike's dog to distract ya. It was so easy, we figured we must have interrupted you two gettin' it on or somethin' with how easy it was. And like all the others, you let her escape first but she was different. She saw the car comin' and panicked. Tried to get to the trees and escape us. All the other bitches just stood there and practically let us take them.

We hit her with the car. Not enough to kill her, ya know? Hard enough to hurt her and make her stop fightin' us so damn much. She was feisty. And beautiful too. It made sense to us why ya kept her around. We were curious to see how you would fare compared to the other men we've left behind, so we stuck around. We didn't think you'd survived until you come runnin' 'round the corner looking for her followed by all them biters. That's when we drove off. We figured you were dead.

She's dead now, though. She fought us every fuckin' day for the past two weeks. She starved herself. After she injured me yesterday, we left the car radio blaring outside the house and we left her chained to the wall. When we looked back, there was at least twenty of them biters heading to the house. She's dead. Just leave us alone and move on," the semi-conscious man groaned out and Daryl looked at Rick. Rick nodded before leaning down to get in the two men's faces.

"Where's the house?"

"You wanna go get yourself killed over a dead girl? Fine. It's about…" the man Daryl had beaten up on started but the other man interrupted.

"Dude, what are you doin?"

"I wanna walk out of this, man. Bad enough they've beaten you up enough that you ain't gonna be able to defend yourself. I don't wanna get the shit beaten out of me anymore over that dead girl." Rick punched the man in front of him, Mike if Daryl assumed correctly, and Daryl glared at the injured one in front of him.

"The house? Where is it?"

"A day's walk north from here," he replied. Daryl nodded and held his hand out to Rick. Rick looked at it briefly before handing his gun over and walking away.

"I'm gonna go move camp, meet me there," he told the hunter before walking off quickly. With all the screams and soon to be gun shots, walkers were gonna be swarming the area and they needed to get as far away as they could before that happened. Daryl looked at the gun in his hand and then at the two men in front of him.

"You shoulda never told me what you did to 'er. You shouldn't a said you hit her with your fuckin' car or that you touched her inappropriately. I was never gonna let you live regardless, but now I'm gonna make it as painful as I can. For her, the ammo this is gonna use is gonna be worth it," Daryl aimed the gun at Mike's leg and fired a round into his knee.

"Man, what are you doin?! We never touched her! She wouldn't let us! Mike's just sayin shit to rile you up!"

Rick walked briskly back to their camp. He faltered slightly as he heard the first shot and the other man yelling at Daryl, then another He could hear the two men scream and ran the rest of the way to their camp.

"What's goin on?" Carl jumped up and asked as Rick approached.

"We need to pack up, now! Let's go," the group quickly packed up their belongings that they had taken out. They all stopped when two more shots rang out.

"What's goin on? We've been moving in circles for days and now Daryl's off somewhere with gun shots goin off and your hand is bleeding. Was there a fight?" Maggie asked as she shouldered her bag. Rick sighed before helping Carl pack their stuff.

"Maggie, we didn't say anything because Daryl didn't want to. He's pissed at you over your lack of care about Beth not being here. Did it ever occur to you that she might have survived the prison?" Rick asked as he shouldered his pack and Daryl approached. Daryl's eyes were dark with rage as his eyes met Maggie's wide eyes.

"Beth…survived?"

"Yea, I was with her for a few months, not that you seem to care about her any now that you've got your boy toy back," Daryl growled out as he approached the woman angrily. Glenn tried to step between them and Daryl shoved him out of the way. "The least you could do is _**ask**_ if anyone knew anything. But you were so focused on getting Glenn back that your own sister meant nothing to you!"

"That…that's not true, Daryl…where is she? What happened to her?" Maggie started but Daryl interrupted her.

"Oh, _**NOW**_ you care?! Well, too late sunshine! According to her kidnappers, she's dead in a house about a day's travel north of here. If only you had cared sooner!" Daryl spat out before storming off, heading north.

"Hey, Romeo!" Abraham's voice shouted. Daryl turned, fully ready to rip the redhead a new one. He paused when the redhead ran up to him and tossed him a set of car keys. "I got lucky. Tank's pretty full, back seats lower. Could use it to make a bed for her when we find her. I found another one too, Rosita is bringing it. You go ahead and head to this house and see if you can save her. We'll follow when Rosita gets here." Daryl stood there looking at the car keys in his hand before nodding and clapping his hand on Abraham's shoulder.

"I owe ya," he said softly before jogging towards the road. He heard two sets of feet running behind him and soon Rick and Michonne caught up with him.

"I ain't gonna let you deal with this alone, Daryl." Daryl knew what Rick was trying to say. He had had to deal with Merle's death on his own back at the prison. It had crushed him. If Beth was indeed dead and he had to put her down, he didn't know if he could do it. Or if he could live with himself afterwards. The three heroes got to the road and found a minivan waiting on the edge of the road. Daryl groaned at the sight of it but threw the driver door open and climbed in anyways. Rick slid the backseat door open and climbed in, allowing Michonne in before closing the door. He immediately began lowering the seats in the back to make them lay flat.

"If she's as starved as they said, she won't be up for much running at the moment. She'll probably need to rest. Just focus on getting there," Rick told him from the back and Daryl nodded. He sped the van down the road and turned to go north on the first road he came to.

The three of them lost track of how long they were in the car, searching the landscape for any building that could be holding Beth. Rick tapped Daryl on the shoulder and pointed out something in the distance on top of a hill. It was the first building they had seen and they could see a large number of a walkers stumbling around and into the building. As they got closer, Daryl could see a car pulled up outside of the building.

"That's it. That's the car they took her in," he mumbled as he fought to keep his rage in check. Rick nodded as he got his gun and knife ready.

"There are a lot of walkers around here. Don't let your rage distract you, alright? Don't get tunnel vision on me. I'm not burying anyone today. I'm not burying you or Beth. So stay sharp. Can you do that for me? For Beth?" Rick asked, his eyes searching Daryl's face. Daryl clenched his jaw and nodded. He pulled the van up as close to the house as he could without risking any issues with the walkers. He and Rick looked at each other, then at Michonne, they all gave a short nod to each other, and threw their doors open. The blaring of an AC/DC CD met their ears. Rick fought his way through the small herd of walkers to the car while Daryl and Michonne covered him. Once Rick killed the radio, the three let out a breath and began battling their way through the herd to the door.

Daryl would never admit it to Rick but rage and fear were blinding him. He was so pissed off about everything the men had said and he was terrified that their words were true. His eyes scanned the walkers before he killed them, making sure none of them were Beth. Sweat ran down Daryl's face and neck as he fought off more walkers than he could ever keep track of. There were at least fifty outside the house alone.

A walker grabbed a hole of Daryl from behind while he fought off another in front of him. There was a streak of silver and the walker behind him let go, falling to the ground dead behind him. Michonne gave him a short nod as he killed the one in front of him before the continued. The three fought their way into the house and went room to room clearing it out, leaving a trail of walker bodies behind them. The three took a moment in an empty room to catch their breath and look around. There was so far no sign of Beth and Daryl was beginning to feel his fury grow.

A crashing sound at the end of the hall made everyone's head snap up and Daryl reloaded his crossbow and held it tightly in his hand. The hall led to a small dining room and everyone froze in the door way. In the middle of the room stood a blonde walker. Her back was to the three of them but her size fit Beth's. The braid over one shoulder looked like Beth's, though the last time Daryl had seen her, her long blonde hair had been in a ponytail with a small braid in it. But it had been weeks. Her hair style could have changed.

_"We left her chained to the wall…"_ Daryl recalled and his eyes traveled to the walker's wrists. She was missing a hand but her other hand, her left hand was still there. There were no bracelets on her wrist nor was there a scar from her suicide attempt. He released his breath.

"It's not Beth," he said softly and he could feel and see the tension leave Rick and Michonne's body. The walker turned and faced them, confirming Daryl's observations. The walker looked to be around the same age as Beth but the blonde hair and body size were the only similarities between them. He sighed and leveled his crossbow with the girl's forehead as she began to stumble towards hi.

"I'm sorry this happened to you…" he said softly before firing the bolt and watching her body crumple to the ground. His eyes fell on the wall in front of him. A short chain held up a thin, frail left arm with bracelets hanging loosely around the elbow. The cuff on her wrist was fastened so tightly that the skin around it was swollen and cut. Blood flowed from the cuff down her arm and into her shirt. Her shoulder looked to be at an odd angle with a bone jutting up under the skin and Daryl thought it looked to be dislocated.

Her blonde hair was hanging loosely in a ponytail and it was knotted and matted with blood. There was blood caked on her face from a wound on her temple and bruising littered her skin everywhere he could see. Her left leg was extended and it appeared to be broken somewhere with the angle it was laying. In her right hand sat a machete that was covered in fresh walker blood. That was when Daryl looked around the room. They had only killed one walker in that room but there was at least twenty bodies piled up around her.

Daryl swallowed the lump in his throat, as well as his rage at seeing her condition, and slowly approached the girl. Daryl kneeled down in front of her and tipped her chin up so he could see her better. Her blue eyes were glazed over but they met his briefly before filling with tears.

"Stop torturing me…" she sobbed softly, "he's not really here…He's coming, but…he's not here right now…Why do I…keep seeing him show up?" Daryl's heart clenched and he put his hands on the sides of her face gently to avoid hurting her bruises.

"I am here, Beth. I'm here…" Daryl gently took the machete from her hand and turned to Rick and Michonne, both of whom were watching with small smiles on their face. "The bastards didn't have a key on them when I killed them earlier…it should be here somewhere but we need to hurry. That radio brought all the walkers in the area here, there are probably more coming."

Rick and Michonne nodded and walked off to find the key and kill the few walkers that were approaching. Daryl looked at Beth and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Beth. I am so sorry I couldn't protect you…but I'm here now. I'm gonna get you outta here." Her eyes met his and he saw a light of recognition spark in them.

"Daryl…you're really here?" her voice was raspy and Daryl fought hard to keep the image and sound his brain conjured of her screaming until her throat was sore.

"Yeah, Sweetheart, I am. Talk to me, Beautiful. Do you know where the key is?" She nodded and shakily lifted her right arm to point at a table just out of her arms reach. He let out a low whistle and could hear Rick and Michonne returning to the room at the sound.

"I tried to get it after they left me here but it was too far away…I was barely able to get the machete…I tried everything…I think…I think I dislocated my shoulder in the process. Daryl…" her voice cut off and she swallowed heavily. "You should leave me, Daryl. You need to go." Daryl sputtered and stared at her in shock as he grabbed the small key and came back to her.

"What the hell you goin' on about, girl? I ain't gonna leave you here."

"You need to. Daryl, they hit me with their car…I think it broke my leg. This cuff is so tight on my wrist, we'll be lucky if we don't have to remove my hand…I'll be a burden on everyone. A risk. You said it to daddy back at the prison several times. _No matter what, we always wind up running_. I _can't_ run, Daryl." Daryl shook his head at her and quickly unlocked her wrist from the cuff. He kept a hold her arm so that it wouldn't fall and she gave a hiss in pain.

"We're gonna set your shoulder back into place, and then we're leavin'. _All_ of us are leavin' together. Ya hear me? We ain't leavin' ya behind. Not now, not ever." Rick and Michonne walked forward and Beth's eyes moved to them, shock and happiness showing on her face before pain as Daryl moved her arm back into its socket.

"Beth," Rick smiled as he kneeled in front of her, "don't take offense to this but you must've really been knocked a good one if you think we're gonna leave you here. We've got vehicles now, you'll be fine." Beth smiled and nodded as tears ran down her face.

"I never thought I'd see y'all again," she sobbed out as she held out her hands to Rick and Michonne, both of whom grasped and squeezed one. Her eyes fell to Daryl and she put her hands in his. "I knew you were coming…" Daryl swallowed heavily before shifting forward.

"I'm gonna do my best to not hurt you more than you already are, Beth, but we need to get going. The rest of the group is waiting on us and that radio blaring has got every walker heading this way," Daryl said as he put his hands around Beth's back and under her legs. She nodded with a grimace and Daryl lifted her up. She cried out in pain, one of her hands going around his neck and gripping tightly while the other alternated from gripping her ribs to clutching at her leg. Daryl felt guilt crushing him as he moved her carefully through the house and outside to the van. Michonne jogged ahead of him and beheaded several walkers while Rick took care of any that came up around them. Michonne jerked the back door to the van open and Daryl carefully set Beth down on the folded seats. She grimaced and took deep breaths in and out. Daryl closed the door and watched as Rick and Michonne climbed in and pulled the van away from the house.

Daryl's eyes flitted over Beth as he took in her bruises and wounds. _If only I could kill them again…and again…_he thought to himself. He wanted to hear from Beth what had actually happened to her since the men had contradicted each other during his time with them, but he could tell by looking at her that she hadn't rested or eaten much during her time with the men. Michonne drove the van carefully but quickly down the road and Daryl appreciated her attempts at keeping the ride smooth for Beth's sake.

Beth's face scrunched up in pain and she let out a low moan, her hand squeezing his painfully until it slackened. Her face smoothed and her breathing evened. Daryl assumed she had passed out from the pain. He scrubbed his hand down his face as a mixture of emotions boiled over inside of his chest. Guilt, rage, relief all filled and crashed through his body. He looked to the front of the van and met Rick's eyes.

"Remember what I told you. None of this is your fault. She's safe now…we'll get Bob to look at her, see what he can fix. We'll stop everywhere we can to find her pain killers and antibiotics to avoid infections. Get some rest, Daryl. You need it. She's safe. She's here."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **I promise, I don't hate Maggie…but her only hunting for Glenn really kinda peeved me off. Things will get better from here with her, I promise.

**Chapter 11 – **

The group met up a way down the highway and Maggie threw herself out of the other car before it had even come to a stop and ran towards the one Michonne, Rick, Daryl, and the sleeping Beth were in.

"Did you find her?! Is she in there?!" she was screaming and Daryl frowned as he climbed out of the car and closed the car door behind him.

"Yea, we did and she is, but she's sleepin'. It don' look like she got much of that while she was there," Daryl mumbled before stepping in Maggie's way as she tried to get to the vehicle.

"Daryl, let me see my sister!" Maggie screeched, surprising everyone around her. Rick visibly flinched at the sound, his eyes going wide as he looked at her and then at the area around them. Daryl glared at her.

"No," he growled, "she's _sleepin'. _Unless your screeching like a damn banshee woke her up. It was loud enough to pull all the damn walkers our way, that's for sure. An' besides, I don' think you got the right to do so righ' now." Maggie's hand shot up to slap Daryl across the face but he grabbed her wrist before her hand made contact with his face. Maggie's eyes went over his shoulder and she let out a pained gasp. Daryl turned to see what she was looking at and saw Beth sitting up in the back of the van, watching them with wide eyes. The sunlight brightened the bruises and blood on her face and in her hair. Daryl froze as guilt roared and clawed in his stomach like a dragon.

"Bethy!" Maggie exclaimed as she ripped her wrist out of the hunter's grip and shoved past Daryl. She opened the car door with tears streaming down her face as she threw herself into the car to hug Beth. Daryl watched as Beth's eyes widened even more in fear and she scooted away from Maggie as best as she could with her injuries. She pushed herself back until she hit the rear window of the van. When Maggie didn't stop, Beth curled her uninjured leg into her chest and screamed in terror. It took Daryl a second to realize she was screaming his name.

"Daryl!" she cried out and he moved quickly, pulling Maggie out of the van and away from her, practically throwing the older Greene sister on to her ass on the ground. Glenn ran up and did his best to comfort his wife while glaring angrily at Daryl. Daryl shrugged off the glare and turned to take care of Beth. Maggie sat there in shock as Beth moved herself in to a corner and sobbed, her breathing coming in hurried gasps.

"What the…Beth, it's me, Maggie! I ain't gonna hurt you!"

"She's been through a lot, Maggie," Rick said calmly. "We only _just_ saved her and we're not really sure what they did to her."

"But she let you, Michonne, and Daryl near her?! I'm _her sister_! She should trust me," Maggie cried out and Rick shrugged slightly.

"Maybe she let us close because we were the ones to save her or maybe it's because she thought she was hallucinating." Rick paused as he looked into the van and watched Daryl crawl slowly to Beth while talking to her. She immediately began to calm down and focus on her breathing under Daryl's guidance as he brought her hand gingerly up to rest on his chest and feel his deep breathing, "maybe it's only because Daryl was with us. I'm not sure. They traveled for months together, Maggie. There's a bond, a trust that is in place between the two of them now.

"Also, you need to take into account their feelings for each other before we lost the prison. I find it more believable that she would only really want to be around Daryl after knowing how she feels about him. The strength he exudes is something she'll be needing right now. Think about it, Maggie, if you were in her shoes, would you want people rushing up to you, screaming and crying? Just…give her time, alright? She'll get there but you need to give her time to accept that she's with her family now. That she's safe." Rick put a hand on Maggie's shoulder as he walked by her and she nodded sadly.

Daryl looked out the van door and saw Michonne leaning against the driver's side door, watching them with a soft smile on her face.

"Hey, could you get her a pillow and some blankets?" he asked her. She nodded and walked off to find some.

* * *

"Bob, she needs to be looked at," Rick said quietly as he approached the medic. "She looks like she took one hell of a beating. The two men who took her told us they hit her with their car and she said she thinks her leg is broken. Also," Rick looked at the ground and put his hands on his hips, "they kept her chained up. The cuff looked really tight on her wrist. They also said she refused to eat while they had her so she's gone possibly the entire two weeks without food, and probably hasn't had enough water." Rick thought about telling the medic about some of the other things the men said about what they did to her but decided against it. They didn't know for certain that the men had done anything and he didn't want to spread that information around if it wasn't true. And even if it was true, it wasn't his place to tell anyone. Only Beth's place. Bob nodded and went back to the other vehicle to get the first aid kit and any other supplies he had.

"I don't have much as far as medication goes," he told Rick as he approached him. "I have a couple Aleve and some antibiotics we found on the last run. Since it's only been two weeks, there isn't much of a concern for the lack of food. We'll give her some and make sure she doesn't overeat. It could make her sick. The lack of water is a major concern, though, even with it cooling off and being fall. I'll take a look and let you know what she'll need."

"Alright," Rick nodded before whistling and gesturing for everyone to load up as a couple walkers began to approach the road. "Abraham, follow me. We need to find a place to camp for a few nights and gather supplies.

* * *

Daryl watched from his seat next to Beth as Bob made his way to their car. He felt Beth shift slightly, a grimace on her face as the small movement jostled her injured leg.

"I feel awful…" she told him hoarsely. His blue eyes met hers and he frowned. "I knew it was Maggie approaching me…but I just felt…this panic…" She wiped angrily at her eyes with her right hand, wincing slightly as she put pressure on the bruises on her face. A soft knock on the van's door pulled Daryl's attention from the injured blonde to Bob who stood outside the van.

"I'm gonna ride in here with y'all if that's okay?" Bob asked and Daryl looked at Beth. Apprehension filled her eyes and she looked at Daryl.

"He needs to look at your wounds, Beth. He ain't gonna hurt ya, and I'll be right here the whole time," he told her as Rick, Michonne, and Carl squeeze into the front two seats to give the three in the back plenty of space. Michonne threw back two pillows and a wad of sheets, which Daryl began placing in a makeshift bed for Beth on the lowered seats. The van started moving and Beth squeezed her eyes shut before nodding and scooting closer to Bob. Daryl sat and watched as Bob inspected her leg and announced that it was dislocated at the hip.

"Normally, we would have to knock you out to put it back in its place…but I don't have any anesthesia or sedatives…it's quite painful to reset this," Bob said loud enough for everyone in the car to hear. Beth whimpered and nodded her understanding.

"It's quite painful to have it out of place too," she replied through clenched teeth. Her breathing was labored and Daryl closed his eyes as guilt washed through him.

_No wonder she was in so much pain when I picked her up…You really are a dumbass redneck, Dixon._

"Daryl?" Beth's voice was weak but it gained his attention anyways.

"Yea, Sweetheart?" he replied as he brushed a strand of hair off her forehead.

"Shut up," she ground out as the car hit a bump and it jostled her injured hip, earning her an apology from Rick. Daryl stared at her, concern and surprise on his face.

"Babe, I wasn't saying anything…" he looked at Bob and gestured to his forehead, his finger touching the area on his forehead where Beth had her head injury. Bob frowned and shook his hand as a "maybe" type response to Daryl's unspoken question of whether or not the head injury was causing Beth to hear or see things.

"My head's fine, jackass," Beth growled. "I told you to shut up because I can practically see your thoughts on your face. You pickin' me up helped get me out of that house faster. I couldn't have walked out, even leaning on your shoulder. You're not a dumbass redneck, so stop calling yourself that. Now focus!" Daryl's eyes widened and he could hear Rick muttering something along the lines of "you tell 'im" which earned the sheriff a glare from the hunter. Bob looked between Beth and Daryl for a second before clearing his throat and continuing.

"We'll take care of that last, okay?" Bob asked Beth as he continued his inspections. He Okayed the shoulder, saying that Daryl had done a good job of getting it back into place. He told everyone that the wrist was a concern but since her fingers were returning to their natural color and she could feel and move them that it might heal okay after all. He wrapped her wrist after cleaning the cuts the cuff had left behind. Bob worked quietly for the next few minutes, cleaning the various cuts on her face, arms, and legs. Beth talked to him softly about her ribs hurting and she lifted her shirt enough for Bob and Daryl to see the bruises on her back, sides, and stomach. Daryl had to take deep breaths at the sight of the black and purple on Beth's pale skin.

_I wish I could kill them again, and again, and again…I'd beat the…_

"Daryl…" Beth's soft voice interrupted Daryl's thoughts and he met her eyes briefly before looking away again. He watched from the corner of his eyes as Beth lowered her shirt and laid flat on the makeshift bed as Bob prepared to reset her leg. "Daryl, please…" Beth held her right hand out and Daryl grabbed it tightly in both of his. Bob took a deep breath and looked at Beth and Daryl before glancing up to Rick, Carl, and Michonne. Rick met his gaze through the rearview mirror and nodded, his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel from his tight grip. Michonne tensed and put her arm around Carl as he covered his ears.

"Alright, Daryl and Beth…there are three ways we can do this, we're gonna try one and hopefully it'll do it…if not, we'll have to try another. I need your help though, Daryl. Just place your hand on her pelvis and keep it straight. Beth, pardon my hands," Bob explained as he placed one hand on the inside part of Beth's injured leg's thigh. Daryl flushed slightly at the idea of putting his hand on her lower stomach but did as directed. "On three…" Beth's grip tightened on Daryl's other hand and she took deep breaths. "One…two….three!" On three, Bob rotated Beth's leg longitudinally, which forced the ball of the hip joint back into its socket. Beth bit her bottom lip until it bled and screamed through her clenched jaws, her hand holding Daryl's in a painful grip. Rick did his best to not let the sound of her scream affect his driving but Daryl could see the three up front tense and flinch at the sound. Beth's scream muffled down to whimpers and the sound of her taking deep breaths as her eyes watered.

"Is it…fixed?" she asked through her clenched teeth and Bob sighed.

"I'll be honest, I can't know with one hundred percent certainty. Normally, we would use x-rays to help us see if it's in its proper place if we couldn't get to surgery to fix it. From what I can feel," Bob probed gently along her hip, "it seems to be but again, I'm not sure. There's a risk of nerve damage after doing this, so we'll have to monitor how your leg and foot are doing with time."

"It hurts like hell right now," Beth ground out, anger at the medic's information evident in her voice. Daryl smiled slightly at her before running his free hand over her hair, his other still clenched tightly in hers. Bob ignored her outburst and continued with his speech.

"What we can do, if we can find one…there's a special kind of brace we can get that'll help keep it in place while it heals. Normally, there's all sorts of physical therapy that has to be done so you've got a road ahead of you as we will have to make do with what we've got. I'm not too sure on what kind of therapy is normally used, to be honest, it wasn't really my area," Bob said with a sigh. Beth nodded and loosened her grip on Daryl's hand to shake her own out after squeezing so tightly. The medic pulled a granola bar out of his pocket and handed it to Beth.

"Here, you need to eat something." Beth shook her head and handed it back.

"I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat," Bob pushed and Daryl rolled his eyes.

"She just got done having an operation performed on her while not under sedation or anesthesia. She's been in hell for two weeks. Chill, she'll eat when she's up for it. Hell, I wouldn't wanna eat right now either." Daryl said as he flexed his hand to help return some of the feeling Beth's grip had taken from it.

"And you have as much tact and grace talking about the subject as an elephant does trying to perform a ballet," Beth spat at Daryl. Soft chuckles came from the three passengers in the front of the car while Daryl stared down at Beth in surprise. Bob snorted but stopped when Beth's glare was turned on him. He ducked his head and dug out the bottle of Aleve.

"There aren't many, but it'll help. We also need to focus on rehydrating you," Bob pulled out a couple of water bottles and set them down around Beth. Once everything was out and accessible for Beth, Bob moved to sit closer to the front of the van and began talking softly with Rick, Carl, and Michonne. Daryl helped Beth get some water and pain relievers down before lying down beside her on the blankets. He had given her both pillows, one of which she tucked carefully under her hip and the other was tucked under her head. Beth turned her face to look at him, her eyes never straying from his. The constant staring really unnerved Daryl but he didn't want to look away from her either.

"You need to get some sleep, girl," he told her softly. Beth shook her head and tears filled her eyes.

"If I go to sleep, I'll wake up and I'll be back in that house," she whispered.

"No, you won't. It doesn't seem real, that you're here and safe, I get that. I really do…I was…" Daryl closed his eyes tightly. Beth watched him for a moment before she nodded and gently brushed his chin with her right hand, giving his goatee a slight pull.

"I know," she said softly. Daryl's eyes opened, appreciation for her understanding what he couldn't find the words to say shining in his eyes. "I was scared too. Terrified that you had died in that funeral home. Then I remembered something from that night. It was hazy, the pain kept trying to lull me to darkness but I fought to stay awake. I heard you, I think, screamin' for me," she told him. Daryl nodded softly.

"I chased the car til mornin'. I came across a fork in the road and I couldn't…I couldn't tell which way the car went..." Daryl swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down at the blankets they were laying on. "I gave up, Beth. I gave up right then, at the first obstacle. I gave up when you were needing me most; when you counted on me the most."

"How did you find me, then?" she asked softly, her hand tapping his chin and making him look into her eyes again. The car kept moving and the other four passengers kept talking, so he told her about joining Joe's group, how he met up with Rick, Terminus and their complicated, terrifying escape. How he had suddenly felt determined that he could find her and how Rick helped him search for any sign of her or her kidnappers. He told her of the fight and torture of her kidnappers, admitted everything they had said and he had done. Beth's eyes were shining with tears by the end of it and Daryl felt a weight come off his chest when his story of the past two weeks was over.

"I'm sorry, Beth. So sorry, but I'm not the good man you think I am. Look at what I let happen to you…"

"No," Beth interrupted forcefully. Daryl's eyes met hers and he felt her simple interruption like a punch in the gut. _No, I'm not the good guy she thought I was._ Daryl sighed and sat up, fully intending to swap seats with Michonne and letting Beth be angry at him for his failures. Beth's hand grabbed his bicep and she tugged on it to make him lie back down beside her. He did, reluctantly, not wanting to hear what she was going to say. "Daryl Dixon, you _are_ the good man I thought you were. _Too good_, remember?"

Daryl's mind flashed back to the first time they had had this conversation, when Beth was laying on the prison cot with an IV in her arm.

"I seem to get into trouble a lot, Daryl," she told him softly as she recalled the numerous times the man in front of her had to save her life or help her through an illness or injury. "But there is always one person who is there to pick me up. To save my life. This man sees the world as it is. If he can't see the hope in a situation, he recognizes that and bears through it. He doesn't dream or get lost in what _could_ be. And this frustrates me, because I don't see the world that way. I _can't_ see it that way. If I do…I'm scared of what I'll do." She sighed and shook her head and Daryl could see by the look on her face that she was changing topics.

"Everything you just told me _proves_ to me that you are a good guy. You lost hope in the beginning and that's okay," Daryl scoffed loudly and Beth frowned. "It is! But after everything you went through, after realizing how long it had been, you found that hope again. You started searching again. You got the answers you needed."

"I tortured two men, Beth, three actually. Randall back at the farm," Daryl interrupted and Beth gave a cold laugh and Daryl didn't like it coming out of the blonde next to him.

"The two of them, Mike and John, the two who took me; they deserved it. Every single part of it," Beth told him. Daryl tensed hearing that, realizing that Beth would never have said those words about someone before she had been taken. "They took me from you," she continued, "they hit me when I fought back. They teased me relentlessly about your death. They _deserved_ what you did to them." Daryl closed his eyes but found the question he didn't want the answer to burning its way from his mouth and into the open.

"Did they…_touch_ you?" Beth was silent for a moment as she chewed on her lower lip before shaking her head no. Daryl breathed a sigh of relief. He watched as apprehension and something else crossed Beth's face.

"They…" she started before swallowing and looking away from him. Daryl lay there silently, his hand holding hers tightly and rubbing his thumb in circles against her smooth skin. He couldn't think of the words to comfort her and hoped that his presence and touch could do what his words were failing to do.

"You don' gotta tell me right now, Beth," he told her softly. She nodded and looked back at him.

"You've given me the courage, if I don't say anything now…I'm not sure I ever will," she told him honestly. Her eyes glanced briefly at their hands as he gave hers a gentle squeeze and she took a deep breath.

"No, I never let them close enough to do anything like that," she answered and Daryl nodded. "They tried, once each on the day they left, yesterday I guess it was…" she continued and Daryl felt rage building in him again. "Mike, he tried first. I hope I nearly dislocated his knee cap but I _know_ I managed to cut him really good with that machete. They were stupid and had left it on the edge of the table. After dislocating my shoulder, I was able to stretch enough to knock it off and drag it close enough to grab it.

"When Mike came in, I kept it hidden behind me in my right hand. As soon as he was close enough, I kicked as hard as I could against his knee cap and slashed out with the knife. His head was too far away, so I tried aiming for the artery in his leg but he moved too quickly. I guess I hadn't hit his knee hard enough…or maybe I didn't hit it in the right place because he limped out of the room, yelling for John's help. Then John came in to "punish" me…Moron forgot that I still had the machete. I nearly castrated him when he tried," she explained. Daryl flinched at the idea of it but remembered the way one of the men had limped and complained that the blonde had really injured him. He felt a smile form on his face and he gently placed a kiss on Beth's cheek.

"That makes me cringe ta think about, but I'm proud of ya, girl. Ya did good," he complimented and Beth blushed slightly with a chuckle.

"The first week I was with them, they kept trying to make me believe you were dead and that everything had been an accident. That they had only taken me to save me from the walkers at the funeral home. I kept trying to escape. It was painful; I couldn't really remember what had happened to my leg but I tried to run away. I never got far, my screaming and crying would instantly alert them to my location every time but I never gave up. The last time I tried to escape, they kicked me around some. I managed to grab something, I can't remember what now…and I hit one of them with it. The other hit me in the head with the butt of his gun. That's when they confessed that it had all been a trap, that they were only wanting me for pleasure, and chained me to the wall. I guess my constant attempts to escape pissed them off.

"After I had injured them both, they decided to leave the car behind with the radio playing as loud as it could go. Walkers began filtering into the house and I did my best to keep them back, fighting through the night as walker after walker would stumble into the house. Slowly at first, one every once in a while. After they started to make noise and after I cried out in pain when one managed to get too close and knock me off my uninjured leg during the night, they started to come in more frequently." Beth let out another breath.

"The entire time I was with them, I ignored their food. I didn't know what it was, if it was drugged, so I didn't want to risk it. I tried to do that with their water but I couldn't. I needed to try and stay hydrated. Lack of food hit me while I was fighting those walkers. I hurt all over and I could feel my energy was drained." She swallowed and turned her eyes away from Daryl's again and he could see shame in her eyes.

"I gave up. There was one walker left in the room and I gave up. I let myself fall to the floor and let her come to me. I thought I was hallucinating when it was killed and I saw your bolt sticking out of its head. I had…dreamed during my brief moments of sleep that you had come in to rescue me. I knew you were coming, but I was so worried it was another dream that I didn't want to get my hopes up…"

The two lay in silence for a moment before Daryl leaned forward and put his face in the space between Beth's shoulder and her head. He put his chin on her shoulder and laid his head on the pillow next to her.

"You're the strongest woman I know, Beth Greene," he mumbled to her. He could feel the tension leaving Beth's body and she tilted her face to lay on top of his. She "hmm'd" in response, the tone of it making it seem like she didn't believe him. "You told me at the moonshine cabin that you hadn't changed enough to survive this world. But you have, Greene. Think about what you just told me, how you survived. How you fought against those men. How you took down walkers for close to twenty four hours by yourself. And now, you're laying here talking about it…I've heard it takes people days, weeks, maybe even longer to come to grips and talk about what happened to them…" Daryl sighed, his air hot against Beth's neck and ear, making her shiver at the feel of it. "I…I'm struggling to explain it, Beth…" Daryl pressed a soft kiss to the edge of her cheek, almost on her ear. Beth sighed and Daryl could feel her cheek move as she smiled.

"Promise me one thing, Beth," he whispered to her.

"What?" she asked softly, sleep tugging at her consciousness.

"Don't let this get between us. If you need to cry, cry on me. If you need to talk, scream, punch, whatever…I'm here. Don't shut down on me, girl," he said softly, voicing the fears that had begun to creep in on him as they laid there. Beth still for a moment before leaning her head back enough to meet his eyes. He could see the exhaustion, the apprehension and fear in her eyes. "I mean it, Beth."

"Okay," she replied. "I promise." Daryl smiled softly before gently guiding her face closer to his and placing a chaste kiss on her lips.

"I love you, Beth Greene." His words and kiss brought the brightest smile he had seen on her face since before she was taken. Her eyes lit up with it and Daryl found his own lips returning the gesture.

"And I love you, Daryl Dixon." She replied softly. The two tucked back into the pillow and fell asleep quickly, missing the soft smile on Rick's face at their whispered affections and kiss.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **This chapter was a struggle! Not too sure on why…

**Chapter 12 – **

Days flew by quickly as the group made their way slowly to Washington DC. The closer they got to the capitol, the more crowded the roads became. This made the group have to backtrack and find alternate routes often. They had to stop and syphon gas and find food. The trip was taking a lot longer than it should have and Beth could feel tensions growing in the group of newcomers. She also felt incredibly restless and grumpy as she was left in the van all the time and wasn't allowed out often. Her leg was still in a lot of pain but she refused to take the pain medication Bob and Daryl had found during one of their earlier runs.

They had also found a hip brace for her to wear and a walker. She had frowned at the sight of it but Bob had told her that the physical therapy she would need would require some form of stability and that the walker would be the best tool she could have. Daryl had given her a slight smirk, a teasing glint in his eyes, when she kept staring at the walker and she had spat some sassy remark that they had best keep it when she was healed since his "old ass would need it soon." The comment had surprised and amused everyone but the hunter who had turned a glare on her quickly.

"Like I need another reminder of the age gap," he had muttered. The look on his face afterwards told Beth he hadn't meant to say it out loud. Surprisingly, the group members (Rick, Michonne, Bob, and Maggie) around them had all told him they didn't see a problem with their relationship – whatever their relationship was. In the days since then, Daryl had relaxed a little more around her. He didn't kiss her or touch her if the group was around, but he stayed beside her in the van whenever he could and slept next to her at night when he wasn't on watch.

Beth sighed and shook her head, looking outside the van windows at their camp for the day. Daryl, Rick, and Carl had gone off hunting while Maggie, Sasha, Bob, Glenn, Michonne and the four newcomers all sat around a small campfire boiling water from what Beth guessed was a nearby stream. Her view from the van was limited and she sighed angrily. She looked the other way and could only see trees, their branches swaying slightly in front of her. There wasn't a breeze at the moment. Beth squinted harder at the trees and grabbed her knife from beside her on her bed. A lone walker stumbled its way out of the trees and Beth crawled as best as she could to open the van door closest to it.

She let out a low whistle and she could hear Maggie call her name. The walker stumbled to the van and Beth grabbed it roughly and stabbed it in the eye. She pulled the knife out and pushed the walker's body out of the van, pain shooting through her leg and hip as she did so.

"Beth!" Maggie screamed as she saw the walker trying to climb into the van. Her fears were alleviated as she watched Beth take care of it but her fear was quickly replaced with anger. She ran to van and climbed in with her sister. "What are you thinkin, Beth?! You're injured, it coulda got you!"

"I knew what I was doin'! I took care of it!" Beth replied tightly as she closed the van door and turned slowly to face her sister, fighting the urge to yell. "Stop coddling me!" Glenn came up and stood outside the van.

"We're just worried about you, Beth. You're the only family we've got left," he told her softly. Beth frowned and looked at the two of them. She had overheard arguments between Maggie and Daryl and had a pretty decent idea of what Maggie had been doing while she and Daryl had been surviving. Beth had mixed emotions about it. She understood that Maggie had considered her to be weak and unable to protect herself. Hell, she knew that about herself at the time too.

"I would have searched for you," Beth started. Maggie looked at her with a confused expression on her face. Beth continued, "I would have wrote _Daryl and Maggie, come to Terminus_. _Beth_. On any flat surface I could have. I would have asked everyone from our group, the minute I saw them alive, _have you seen Maggie? Do you know if she's alive?_ And I wouldn't have hesitated to join a search for you…Forgive me if I am confused about how you're acting towards me now compared to while I was missing. From what I've gathered, you didn't do any of those things while I was missing and now you're back to the overprotective, caring older sister?

"I get it, I really do. You thought I wouldn't make it out alive. If I hadn't left with Daryl that assumption would probably be accurate. Your heart was clinching painfully and breathing was impossible at the thought of losing the love of your post-apocalyptic life.

"But if our roles had been reversed, if I was the badass Greene sister with a husband to find and you were the-one-who-wouldn't-make-it-alone Greene sister, I would still put your name on all of my signs. I would still ask people if they had seen you, if they knew what had happened to you." Beth felt a pang of guilt hit her as she took in Maggie and Glenn's faces. The pain and shock that was portrayed made Beth's heart hurt. The old Beth would clamber and apologize.

This new Beth, the one who had survived twenty four hours by herself, slaying walkers as they trickled into a small room where she was chained and injured after going two weeks with terrible men and no food, she was not going to apologize for speaking her thoughts.

"The rational part of my mind gets it, Maggie. It understands and accepts your actions. The emotional part of me, though, is _hurt_. I feel like you don't give a rat's ass about me. That you, once again, underestimated me. I'm a jumble of hatred and pain when I think of you or when I even see you. How do I get over that, Maggie? How can I forgive you? Please, help me to understand so that I can look at you and see my sister and feel _happy_." Maggie bit her lip as tears ran down her face and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Bethy. I really am," Maggie choked through her tears. Beth closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her emotions tumbling around and confusing her even more. Maggie got out of the car and walked off. Glenn looked between the two sisters before walking off to join Maggie, his eyes moving to Daryl's as he emerged from the woods with Rick and Carl. They had a deer and a couple of rabbits with them. Daryl's face lit up as he showed the deer to their camp members but his face darkened when he saw Glenn comforting the crying Maggie.

"What happened?" Rick asked with an edge to his voice, his eyes searching to make sure everyone was still alive and unhurt.

"There was a walker but blondie over there took care of it," Abraham explained and Daryl's eyes shot to Beth as she adjusted her body to sit at the open car door. Her face contorted with pain at the movement before she settled, her weight sitting mostly on her other leg and hip. Beth slowly lowered her foot to the ground and eased herself to stand. Daryl dropped the deer beside Sasha and walked quickly over to her.

"I'm fine, Daryl," she told him through clenched teeth and he nodded.

"I can see that," he told her quietly. He glanced back to the group and watched as they settled around the small campfire to skin and cook the food they had brought back. "What do ya need?" he asked her softly. She let out a bitter chuckle and shrugged.

"I'm so confused. I'm sad and angry. Frustrated and in pain…I'm tired of sitting in that van all day. I want to get out and walk around, go hunting, continue my lessons with you…if you still want to do them, that is." She paused, uncertainty in her eyes and Daryl nodded.

"'Course I do. You need to learn to fend for yourself," he answered. Beth nodded and leaned against him slightly. His eyes roamed her face, taking in her paleness and the pained expression on her face. "How can I help?" Beth snorted and shrugged, her eyes moving to the ground or the area around them instead of his face.

"Don't do that, Beth. Don't close me out. Talk to me. What can I do?" Beth sighed and shrugged.

"I dunno…I need to get out of that van more or I'm gonna lose my mind," she told him and Daryl nodded before reaching into the van and grabbing the hip brace and walker. He eyed the brace for a minute before adjusting it and putting it carefully on her injured hip, fastening it around her waist and thigh. He set the walker up in front of her and placed her hands on the handles.

"We're gonna walk as much as you can," he told her and that's what they did. Beth managed three white knuckled steps in what she was sure was hours of struggling before she broke down in tears. Daryl helped her back to the van and sat her down.

"I can't…" she sobbed and Daryl leaned her against his chest. Rick approached the two with two plates of food and bottles of water.

"It's not going to be easy," Rick told her and Daryl looked at the sheriff, his eyes portraying how useless he felt. "You did very well, Beth. A fellow cop was shot in the leg and it took him weeks to get the strength to try walking," he informed her. Beth looked at Rick as he talked and Daryl watched as her eyes lit up slightly with his words.

"Really? It doesn't feel like much of an accomplishment," she mumbled, her eyes turning dark again. Rick gave a soft laugh and nodded.

"Yea, it is. Standing up and walking that distance is amazing after it only being a couple of days. Don't worry, you'll get there," he encouraged before leaving the two of them alone to eat. Daryl watched as she took a couple of bites of the deer meat before he handed her the bottle of pain medication.

"You need these."

"They make me sleepy…I'm no good if I'm drowsy, Daryl," she told him as she turned back to the group eating in front of them and he looked at the bottle in his hands.

"I'll keep you safe. You know that righ'?" He could see Beth whip her head to look at him from his peripheral vision.

"Of course I do, Daryl. I'm…I'm tired of burdening you and the others. That's why I killed that walker earlier. I wanted to prove I can still take care of myself…"

"I get that but Beth, if you're in pain…do somethin' about it." Beth sighed and nodded, holding her hand out for a pain pill from the bottle. "What happened with Maggie earlier?" he asked and Beth stiffened slightly before swallowing the pill and taking another bite.

"I explained how I felt about everything I've heard. About what eavesdropping on y'all's arguments 'bout how she didn't ask about me or leave notes for me…About how that has left me confused emotionally…she didn't like what I had to say is all." The two finished eating and watched as everyone packed up their camp and put out the fire. Beth sighed and leaned her forehead against Daryl's as she began to feel the pain medication kick in.

"Come on," Daryl mumbled before helping her get back to her pillows and laying down beside her. The other members of the group began filtering into the three vehicles the group now had to sleep or keep watch for the night. It was an unspoken idea they had all shared. That way everyone and everything was in the vehicles and they could leave in a hurry if needed. Rick closed up the doors and locked them once everyone was piled into their vehicle.

Beth passed out rather quickly from the pain killers while Daryl and Rick sat up keeping watch. Hours ticked by with nothing happening before Daryl's ears picked up the faint sound of the tree limbs rustling near the van. He tapped Rick on the shoulder to wake him up and the two looked at the dark forest beside them.

"Go ahead and flip the signal, just in case," Daryl whispered. Rick nodded and flipped the blinker so that the light on the right side of the car, the side closest to the trees, would light up and flash once before he flipped it back down to turn it off. The cars in front of them repeated the signal and they could see the shadows of people rousing and watching the trees inside the other vehicles. A walker stumbled out of the trees and Daryl held his breath.

"We should go," Rick whispered and Daryl nodded his agreement. More walkers burst from the tree line and Daryl's eyes widened at the sheer number of them.

"Now, Rick," he said as Rick turned on the car and let out two short honks on the wheel. The other two cars started and shifted into drive right as the walkers started hitting the doors. Beth snapped awake and sat up as walkers quickly engulfed the right side of the car. Rick put the van into drive right as several walkers wrapped around the front and the back of the vehicle.

"Hold tight!" Rick yelled as he pushed on the gas and rolled over some of the walkers in front of the vehicle. Daryl could feel the van struggling to roll over the bodies underneath it and cursed. "Come on," Rick mumbled. Beth grabbed Daryl's arm tightly in hers, fear apparent in her eyes.

"If y'all have to jump out…" she started but Daryl interrupted her.

"We've told ya once, I ain't gonna repeat it after this time so listen close, girl. We. Ain't. Gonna. Leave. You." Beth slapped him hard across the face.

"If it means you, Rick, Carl, and Michonne survive, you'll do it. There's a gap right now, you should all take it." Daryl growled. He looked at Rick, Carl, and Michonne in the front seats. The van was becoming surrounded by more and more walkers and the van seemed stuck no matter what Rick did. Jumping out and running for the gap was the best idea but he couldn't leave her. The looks the other three had told him the same thing. Rick turned his eyes back to the front of the van as he put more pressure on the gas pedal while turning the wheel.

"You're runnin outta time!" Beth yelled at them, tears in her eyes. "Go!" Daryl grabbed Beth's face and slammed his lips onto hers, pouring everything he felt into the kiss. She reciprocated, pulling him flush against her body and wrapping her arms around his neck. She broke the kiss and put her hands on his chest, shoving him as hard as she could. "Go…" Daryl leaned his forehead against hers for a moment before looking into her eyes. Beth could see rage building in his eyes.

"I just got you back, Beth. I ain't gonna lose you again."

All of a sudden, the van shot forward, finally free of the bodies stuck under it and a collective breath of relief was heard throughout the van. Daryl leaned away from Beth. He was pissed and she could tell.

"As soon as we're clear, Michonne and I will swap places." He announced to everyone. Beth's eyes filled with tears and Daryl moved away from her. "I'm too pissed at you right now, Beth." She nodded slightly before laying back down and curling as best as she could into her blankets and crying.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Sorry about the last chapter if you read it before I edited it. I was trying to figure out if I should end the chapter with Beth pushing Daryl away or with the van finally getting free. It was never my intention to separate the two again as I am completely against it. Never fear, this chapter will not be rushed now that I am at home.

I basically listened to _Very Nervous and Love _by J Mascis while writing this chapter.

**Chapter 13 – **

The van was filled with a thick, silent air that was full of tension. Beth's tears fell silent, which relieved Daryl whose anger had only grown with each heaving sob. The group had met up further down the highway and continued traveling down the dark highway for nearly thirty minutes. The three vehicles were moving quickly and had already put several miles between them and the horde they had left behind. Rick growled and hit his blinker before slamming on the brakes and coming to a stop. The vehicles in front of them did the same.

"What the fuck?!" Daryl cursed as the sudden stop made him fly forward. Rick put his hand on Carl's shoulder in apology before turning and facing Daryl and Beth.

"We're gonna talk bout what just happened," Rick explained, anger and frustration heavy in his voice.

"No, we fuckin' ain't!" Daryl argued and Rick shot him a glare.

"Beth, we will never leave you behind. Ever," Rick told the blonde as she sat up. "I would have fought to get this vehicle free until we ran out of gas or the tires fell off. Even then, we would have figured something out. One of us would have carried you or something. You understand me?"

"I will not be a burden to any of you. That was a life or death situation! You would have needed to run as quickly as you could have away from this vehicle. I would have only slowed you down!" Beth argued. Daryl growled before throwing his car door open and storming away from the van and into the woods. Beth felt anger building in her chest and heaved herself out of the van after him. Rick and Michonne yelled at her, both unbuckling and throwing their own doors open.

Daryl spun in time to watch Beth take three shaky steps on her own before collapsing with a cry of pain. He stepped forward to help her but stopped when Michonne helped her stand again.

"What the fuck are ya doin, girl?! Get back in the fuckin' van!" he yelled at her. Beth shoved Michonne away from her and took a couple more steps toward Daryl before she cried out and started to fall again. He stepped forward and caught her.

"I'm not goin back in that vehicle until we talk about this, Daryl. The more you walk away from me, the more I'm gonna follow you!" She put her hands on his chest, grabbing the fabric of his long sleeve button up in her fists. "Don't shut me out, Daryl. Talk to me." Daryl groaned and stepped away from the blonde. Michonne and Rick leaned against the van, refusing to leave the two alone.

"Daryl, if the van hadn't gotten free and we had to run for it…we both know I couldn't get far on my own. I couldn't bear to think about you, Rick, Michonne, or Carl dying because of me slowing y'all down."

"You decided for the four of us that you were gonna stay behind and die without even considering what that would do to us, how your death would effect us. That's not fair to us. None of us would have been able to live with the decision if we had left you but I can already tell you that _none_ of us would have done that. We would have dragged you if we needed to," Rick explained.

"You were gonna risk Carl's life to do that?" Beth asked and Rick chuckled darkly.

"I wouldn't get out of the van if I knew you weren't leaving it too," Carl answered from the open van door. Rick gestured to his son with a look like '_see?_'

"I would have knocked you out and carried you myself if it came down to it," Michonne explained as she leaned against Rick's shoulder, "and lover boy there, he wouldn't have left you either. You have to…"

"I can talk for myself, dammit!" Daryl interrupted. Michonne raised her hands in surrender before nudging Rick aside with her hip and climbing into the van and closing the door. Rick shook his head at Michonne before glancing between the two.

"_Talk_ it out," he ordered before jogging to the other two vehicles to explain the hang up. Beth shifted slightly before glancing at Daryl.

"I get it, you're pissed at me. So yell already," she told him softly. Daryl sighed.

"I…You need…" he sighed heavily, running his hand through his hair and then down his face. "Imagine you're me, Greene. You're a jumbled mess of emotions because you're feeling things you've never felt before for this person. You lose them for two weeks, find them but they're in shit condition and you don't know if someone has raped them or not." Beth flinched slightly at his words but nodded as he continued.

"You get this special person back, and it turns out that your worst fear of them dying or being so scarred that they'll never trust another person, let alone you because it's your fault they were taken to begin with, for the rest of their life didn't happen! They are healing and talking to you and letting you into their personal nightmare in hopes you can help keep the demons at bay and then they're finally walking again and then they start throwing around things like 'oh, leave me ta die!' and the cliché 'save yourself' bullshit I heard in movies and never expected to hear in real life. I…" the hunter took a deep breath as he paced in front of Beth.

"I'm not _pissed_ at you, girl."

"Could have fooled me." Daryl stopped and stared at her, the veins in his neck showing as his emotions rose again.

"I don't know what I am feeling right now. The last time I felt like this, you were lying on a prison cot with a bag in your mouth to help you breathe and I thought you were dead!" Daryl froze as recognition hit his face and he walked up to the woman in front of him.

"The thought of leaving you behind…" he closed his eyes tightly before opening them and staring into Beth's wide blue eyes. She knew what he was doing and searched his dark blue eyes for what he couldn't say. She saw pure terror in his eyes. Terror and a look of loss so deep that her heart broke. "If we had lost you back there…Beth, I'd…have nothing."

"Daryl…"

"No, you don't get it girl! I ain't never needed anyone for anything! The thought of leavin' you behind…Beth Greene, I _need_ you in my life. You show me that there is still good in this world. That there is still hope and beauty in this sick and twisted place. You show me that I can be happy." Daryl swallowed heavily, keeping his eyes locked on hers. "You don't get to do that to me and then expect me to leave you. I'm selfish, I get it. I'd rather keep you to myself then let anyone else take you more then a few feet away from me…" He took a deep breath in and out and finally broke his gaze from Beth's.

"Daryl…I'm sorry. I really am…but imagine you're me now. You can barely walk, let alone run. You've got Rick, Michonne, Carl, and me in a vehicle and it looks like we need to run to survive a horde of walkers. You can't tell me that the same thought wouldn't cross your mind. The thought that maybe you can buy your family some time, time enough for them to make it out of danger and live…You can't tell me that you wouldn't think that because I know you. You would rather we survived then struggle to pull you from a vehicle and carry you or run with you, wouldn't you?" Daryl didn't say anything and Beth shook her head.

"That situation won't be the last one of its kind, not with the way the world is and how our luck seems to be. So we decided, right now, what we will do should that situation ever happen again."

"I'll carry you to safety," he replied without hesitation.

"And if you're the injured one, I'll pull you out and do what I can," Beth said, her voice firm.

"Beth…"

"No, if you won't leave me, I won't ever leave you," she argued and Daryl sighed. "What if walkers are surrounding you as you carry me? What if there is no hope of both of us getting out alive?"

"There is always hope…" he answered and Beth felt a smile tug at her lips.

"If there isn't any hope, you need to save yourself, alright?" She asked and Daryl shook his head.

"I'd rather put a bullet in my head."

"How very _Romeo and Juliet_ of us." Beth sighed and Daryl chuckled slightly. Daryl walked closer to the blonde and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Don't ever do that to me again, Greene. Trust in me to keep you safe. Trust Rick and Michonne to help. " The two were silent for a moment before Beth leaned back to look him in the eyes.

"That was some kiss back there though…I thought it was one hell of a goodbye kiss."

"It was never a goodbye kiss, Beth. I did it to shut you the hell up," Daryl murmured and Beth shook her head. She wrapped her arms behind Daryl's neck and pulled him down into a kiss, pouring all of her fear, love, and happiness into it. Daryl instantly responded, deepening the kiss and tugging her body flush against his. His hands dug themselves into her soft hair while one of hers ran into his hair and tugged on it gently making him groan into the kiss. A catcall broke the couple apart, both breathing heavily and staring the other in the eyes. Both sets of blue eyes had almost bled to black as arousal coursed through both of their bodies. Daryl sighed before glancing back at the van and see Michonne and Rick smirking at them, Michonne having been the one to make the catcall.

Beth blushed slightly before looking over Daryl's shoulder. Her eyes widened as more walkers approached through the trees.

"Time ta go," he grumbled into her ear before carefully picking her up and jogging to the van. Rick honked the horn and the other two vehicles shifted back into drive and the group resumed their trip.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **Another hard chapter. This one took me almost all day to write and I'm feeling pretty uncertain about it...Prolly going to have to reread it with a fresh mind and edit it/add to it/fix it...

**Chapter 14** –

Daryl's eyes squinted in the afternoon sunlight that streamed into the van and glared off of the road and buildings they passed. He reached out and bumped the van's heat down. He wasn't sure, but the days were colder making him guess that it was around December. The air during the days was cool, probably around fifty degrees or so, but the nights were fuckin' freezing. It only got worse the further north they traveled. Everyone in the van had taken to piling blankets up in the back with Beth and sleeping in the tight quarters to keep warm. Every run they made for supplies, they made sure to grab more winter clothing and blankets along with their bags of food. They also searched for more pain killers as the cold air seemed to be hurting Beth's injury more.

The group was nearing the borders of Alexandria, Virginia and seemed to have driven in circles since then trying to avoid road blocks. He glanced over his shoulder to Beth, Michonne, and Carl who were playing card games in Beth's makeshift bed where the injured blonde was reclined on her pillows. Part of him was angry at her. He hadn't originally been angry at her, not really. His default emotion was anger or rage. He knew how to handle and contain those emotions but when Beth tried to convince him to leave her, he didn't know what he was feeling.

During those few minutes that they had struggled to get free the night before had made him feel a tumultuous mess. He recognized fear and concern, terror…but there had been a deep seated pain as well at the thought of leaving her behind to die. Part of him wanted to ask Rick about it but the rest of him was ashamed that he couldn't recognize his own emotions. Hell, he _really_ wanted to talk to Rick about it to figure out how to get over the jumble of emotions he was _still_ feeling. He glanced at the man driving and found him glancing back at him.

"You wanna talk about it?" Rick asked him, surprising Daryl. Rick glanced at the three in the back seat and nodded when he saw they were busy teasing Carl about the card game.

"I 'unno," Daryl told him honestly. "Doesn't that seem awfully girlish to you?" Rick snorted at his question.

"No. Last night was…confusing and terrifying. You'd have to be a robot to not be confused by it all." Daryl sighed.

"I dunno…just conflicted. One second my brain is telling me she had a point, the next I'm full of rage at the fact she even thought that was an option…" Daryl returned his eyes to the scenery as they passed block after block, following the other two vehicles. "I'm starting to think Eugene has no idea where we're going," he muttered darkly, making Rick chuckle.

"I'm not going to pretend to understand how last night felt for you. I tried to think about what I would do or say if it had been Lori but I just can't see it," Rick admitted.

"We haven't seen a walker the entire time we've been in this area," Daryl pointed out, "I figured that with this area having such a large population people in it before it all went to shit, the place would be _swarming_ with walkers but we ain't seen _one_ yet." Rick nodded, accepting the topic change.

"Maybe Eugene's people have been keeping the area around DC clear. We're about six miles away from DC," he offered as he followed the other two vehicles around a corner. The group came to a stop and Daryl whistled. In front of the three vehicles stood a large wall that towered over the vehicles and ran between buildings. "Maybe Eugene knew exactly where he was going."

"Step out of the vehicles!" A voice ordered. Daryl could see men with guns standing along the wall and some moving on the ground towards them. Rick put the van in park and unbuckled.

"Best do as they say," he muttered and Daryl grunted in response, his eyes drifting to Beth in the back before he pulled on his coat and vest and climbed out of the van and stood by the door. One-by-one, the three vehicles emptied of people except for Beth, who stayed in her reclined position in the van. Her rushed steps out of the van the night before had made her injury painful and she could barely recline or move without pain bringing tears to her eyes. Two armed men approached their vehicle as they inspected Rick and Daryl, then moving to Michonne and Carl. One of the men spotted Beth and raised his gun.

"Out of the car," he ordered. Daryl growled and stepped between the man's gun and Beth.

"She can't, she's injured." He told the man who frowned in response.

"She bit?" the man asked, not lowering his gun.

"Hell nah. She got hit by a fuckin' car," Daryl growled. The man reluctantly lowered his gun.

"We're just passing through to get to DC but if you have any gas or supplies, we'll pay you back with a cure," Abraham called out. Daryl rolled his eyes and watched as the armed men returned to the front. Daryl turned his focus to Beth, quirking his eyebrow and rolling his eyes to show his annoyance. Beth smiled and Daryl could feel his lips quirking to return it. Rick walked off to talk to the armed men and Daryl sighed before climbing into the back with Beth.

"What is this place?" she asked softly. Daryl shrugged.

"We're in Alexandria, Virginia. This looks kind of like Woodbury did," he muttered. Beth grabbed is hand and squeezed it. He could see concern and apprehension in her eyes. He squeezed her hand back. "I ain't gonna let anything happen to you," he told her.

"I wasn't worried about that, Daryl," she confided. "My first thought was what if this is _exactly_ like Woodbury?" Beth asked. Daryl stared out the front windshield at the walls in front of them, his brows furrowing as he thought about it.

"If it is like Woodbury, then we'll get the fuck out of here asap," he comforted. Beth nodded, her eyes drifting to their hands.

"What if this is a nice place with good people?" Daryl felt confusion at her question but when he looked into her eyes, he could see hope shining brightly in them.

"Then we'll stay. We'll work somethin' out," he told her. Beth's eyes widened before her smile grew. A cough grabbed their attention and the couple looked over to where Rick and Michonne were leaning into the van.

"They're offering to give us a place to rest. They call this the Alexandria Safe-Zone. They've got some empty houses we can stay in and a couple of doctors who want to look at Beth's leg and hip. One of the doctors apparently has some experience with physical therapy. It sounds perfect," Rick told them. Beth squeezed Daryl's hand as she smiled at Rick and expressed her gratitude. Daryl nodded but he could see the tense uncertainty in Rick and Michonne's faces. They all loaded back into their vehicles and drove through the now open gates. The group of vehicles came to a stop on an empty street in front of a group of houses. There was a group of men waiting on them as they all piled out of their vehicles. One of the men stepped forward and gestured to Beth.

"I'm a doctor, is she the one with the injured leg?" Daryl came around the vehicle to face the man and nodded. "I've got a wheelchair, let's get her situated and we'll take her down to my…clinic and take a look at her." Daryl glared at the man as Michonne opened the van door and helped Beth crawl to the exit.

"She's only goin with you if I come to, Sunshine," he threatened as he lifted his crossbow. The doctor nodded and wheeled the chair to the van.

"Of course, are you her husband?" The question caught Daryl by surprise and he nearly tripped as he followed behind the doctor to help Beth get seated. Rick started laughing at the look on Daryl's face and nodded to the doctor.

"They're newlyweds," the sheriff told the doctor. Daryl glared at the sheriff and flipped him off, making the man laugh harder and shrug.

"It's bound to happen," Rick admitted before walking off to discuss things with the rest of their family and the people of the Safe-Zone. Daryl held his hand out to Beth and she looked up at him, her face a bright red from Rick's teasing. Once Beth was seated and tucked in with blankets on her lap, Daryl took the chair's handles from the doctor and gestured for him to lead the way.

"Daryl, there's no need to be rude," Beth whispered to him as they walked behind the doctor along a sidewalk that would have been shaded by leaves if it was spring or summer, but with the feeling of winter, the tree limbs hung over their heads like skeletons.

"I ain't bein' rude, I'm just not gonna let you outta my sight. We don't know for sure he is a doctor. He could be some lunatic," he confessed. He figured Beth would understand his reluctance to leave her better than anyone else out of their family. Beth tilted her head back to look at him, her eyes squinting through the sunlight.

"Are you still mad at me?" she asked him softly. Daryl sighed, _Figures she would have been able to figure out I was still…whatever I am_, he thought.

"I don't know what I am with you," he told her, his grip on the wheelchair handles tightening. "I'm angry but I get it. But every time I close my eyes, I relive it, everything. From losing you, to finding you, to last night…" Daryl sighed. "I'm exhausted." He confessed. The doctor turned and gestured up a ramp to a doctor's office. Daryl nodded and pushed the chair up the ramp and into the surprisingly warm and lit up office.

"You've got power?" Beth asked, just as surprised as Daryl to feel the heat and see the lights on in the building.

"Yes, we're on a power grid that has been kept up and running. Most buildings have hot water too," the doctor informed them. Beth's eyes brightened and she turned to face the hunter behind her.

"We can take a hot shower!" she exclaimed brightly. Daryl's face reddened as the doctor smirked, mistaking her words to mean they could take one _together_. Daryl nodded, not trusting his voice through the tightness of his throat as he forced himself to will away mental images of showering with her, his hands lathering soap…

_Walkers, grandmothers, Dale, Shane (the asshole)_, he forced himself to think as he wheeled Beth into an exam room with an x-ray machine. Beth's eyes widened at seeing it and her smile brightened. Daryl and the doctor left her to get changed.

"Your wife is very enthusiastic and hopeful. We don't get many strangers off the road but the few that we've gotten weren't as happy as she is," the doctor told Daryl while they waited. The hunter cleared his throat and nodded.

"She's strong in her beliefs. She just wants a safe place to stay and live, not survive."

"This could be that place. We've got a couple of farms starting, some livestock, plenty of hunting in the area." Daryl could only "hmm" in response as they heard Beth call out that she was ready. Daryl stayed in the doorway as the doctor prepared the x-ray. He stepped into the room with the doctor as he took the images, his blue eyes never leaving Beth.

"I take it you two were separated for a while?" the doctor asked. Daryl turned a glare on the man.

"Why d'ya say that?"

"The look on your face when you're watching her. Ya look like you're worried she'll be gone if you look away from her. I can't imagine how hard that must have been. My wife lives here, along with our children. It's a rough world out beyond those walls." The doctor did whatever he needed to do before gesturing that Daryl could go back into the room with Beth. "I'll go print these and we'll take a look." Daryl sat on the examination table next to Beth as she sat up.

"I don't…want to get your hopes up, Greene, but this place…it may work out for us," he told her, putting his hand on top of hers. She met his eyes and shook her head.

"It's gonna be fine. As long as we're together, I'm happy." She sighed and moved her hand to thread their fingers together. "What can I do to make last night up to you? How can I help you sort through the mess I've made?" Daryl shrugged and Beth squeezed his hand. "Don't do that. Come on, what can I do?" Her eyes searched his imploringly.

_Stay with me_, he thought as flashes of the car driving off and her demanding to be left behind went through his mind but he couldn't get his mouth to form the words. Beth's eyes softened and she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"I'll never leave you, Daryl Dixon. I trust you and I'm sorry that I didn't show you that last night." Daryl nodded and pulled her gently to him in a one armed hug. A knock on the door signaled the doctor's return as he held an x-ray up to the lights.

"Whoever put your joint back in place did a good job despite not having the proper equipment. Since you're still in pain, I am concerned about there being nerve damage but we'll give it a couple more days of pain medicine and see where you're at. We should have you back up and walking on your own in a couple of weeks." The doctor smiled before clearing his throat, "I do have to advise you against any sexual activities for at least four to six weeks while you heal." Beth and Daryl flushed at his words before looking at each other and quickly glancing away.

The doctor gave Beth a few more pointers and advice before saying she could get redressed and he would take them to their temporary home. The doctor left the room and Beth twiddled her thumbs nervously.

"I'll just…be, ya know," Daryl stuttered as he stood and turned to leave.

"Daryl," her soft voice stopped him, "it's…it's really hard to pull on my jeans…it really hurt to take them off by myself…can you help…" Daryl froze in mid-turn, his blush burning under his skin. He closed his eyes before nodding and walking over to her pile of clothes and picking up her jeans. He leaned down awkwardly as he bunched her jean leg up to help guide her injured leg through. He closed his eyes tightly as she carefully lifted her foot and put it through the leg of her jeans, her hand going to his shoulder to help keep herself steady. He helped hold her weight while she put the other leg in and fastened her jeans.

"Daryl, why didn't you tell him that Rick was kidding, that we aren't really married?" Daryl's eyes shot open at her question but he quickly closed them again as he saw her lifting and removing the gown she was wearing.

"It hadn't crossed my mind…Why didn't you?" he asked her in response.

"I-I kinda like being considered your wife," she admitted nervously. Daryl sighed, the confusing mix of emotions seemed to be smothered by new and even more confusing feelings. He loved this woman, he knew that. He had loved her for a long time, months at least. She knew how he felt and he knew she returned those feelings. But now he was feeling…some form of masculine pride and elation coursing through him. Daryl opened his eyes when he felt Beth's hand on his face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," she told him.

"It's alrigh'" he muttered, leaning into her hand slightly, "There's just so much going on. I don't…I have no experience with this sorta stuff, Beth…It took me forever to figure out what I feel for you, to figure out that this…deep, scary feeling is love. I love you, I know that, but…I'm not husband material. I'm not what you deserve."

"You're what I want," she interrupted. "And we can learn together. I've never been in love." She told him, a smirk on her face as she remembered the last time they had played "I never." Daryl smirked.

"I've never kissed a girl in a doctor's office." Beth pulled his head down to hers and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Now you have."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **This chapter contains some spoilers from the comic book (and possible spoilers for future eps of the show?) so heads up on that. There is also some graphic sexual content. So, yeah…enjoy.

This isn't where I initially intended to end this chapter but I'm tired…I'll update more soon. Thanks for the excellent reviews, the follows and favorites! I'm so glad you're all enjoying this!

**Chapter 15 – **

Beth sighed as she walked the length of the living room slowly. The group had become comfortable in the Alexandria Safe-Zone and had stayed for almost a month behind the walls of the town. Beth's leg had healed nicely for the most part, though she still had moments of struggle when she walked. The doctor and physical therapist had been helping her as much as they could and when they weren't around, Daryl was. The man was near her almost 24/7, not that she minded but she could tell he was itching to get out in the woods and hunt.

She had managed to convince him to go hunting that morning and now she didn't know what to do with herself. She looked around the house they (they being Rick, Carl, Michonne, her, and Daryl) had moved into. In the two hours it had been since Daryl and the others had gone off to hunt or help with farming or clearing the streets around the walls to expand the town, she had cleaned the two story house from top to bottom. She had mended the tears in Daryl's pants and washed some of their laundry. There was still more to do but Beth was bored of doing laundry. She wanted to go out and continue her tracking and crossbow lessons with Daryl, but he wanted to wait until she could run before taking her outside of the walls.

Hell, he'd be angry with her for having cleaned and done so much around the house. He was constantly concerned that she would somehow reinjure her leg that he tried to keep her from pushing herself too much. She understood his concern but even the doctor was saying she was healing nicely and her physical therapist was pleased with her progress. Beth sighed and looked out the windows in hopes of seeing the hunter approaching but no such luck. The blonde returned to the laundry in the kitchen sink, putting extra force into Daryl's shirt and grumbling about how quickly the one shirt had dirtied her water. Beth forced herself to stay focused on her task, completing all of the laundry and taking it out to hang on the line they had made after she had bundled up into her winter layers as Alexandria was much colder than Georgia. Her eyes were on her booted feet as she entered the kitchen again.

A throat clearing made her jump and her wide blue eyes met Daryl's darker eyes. He smirked at her as he approached and took the laundry basket away from her.

"You've been busy, I see," he murmured as he gently pulled her to him in a hug. Her arms slipped into his open coat and wrapped around him tightly and she nodded against his chest. The hunter sighed into her hair, inhaling her scent deeply as he laid his head on top of hers. "As long as you don't push yourself too much."

"I won't, Daryl. I don't really feel any pain anymore," she told him as she adjusted their heads by placing her chin on his chest and looking up at him. Their lips met in the middle for a gentle kiss and she felt Daryl's lips lift into a smile against hers. "What?" she asked against his chapped lips.

"Nothin'" he told her before kissing her more hungrily, "missed you." She chuckled before his lips claimed hers again.

"You saw me this morning."

"That was hours ago," he retorted and Beth laughed, tightening her grip around his neck. _When did my hands get there?_ She thought before shrugging off and chalking it up to her love and desire for the man she was currently pulled flush against. Beth tugged his lips back to hers and she felt his hands move down cup her ass before sliding them lower and picking her up, her legs instantly going around his waist. He set her down on top of the counter and Beth sighed into their kiss before pulling away.

"Did something happen today?" Beth asked against his lips, nipping his bottom one with her teeth before continuing, "Don't get me wrong, Daryl, I am greatly enjoying this greeting but I'm just curious and concerned." Daryl sighed, his air blowing across Beth's face and she felt the concern building in her stomach. The concern melted when she saw his lips quirk into a grin before he kissed her, his tongue slipping into her mouth and making her moan.

"No, nothing happened today," he breathed out. "Nobody was hurt, lost, killed…In fact; it has been almost a month since we lost anyone." His lips met hers again and she felt a smile on her face. "Caught several deer today. Michonne's group had a successful run and found lots of food and clothes."

"So today has been a successful day," she summarized before kissing him again, her hands moving to his hair and tugging gently on it, making him groan.

"I love you, Greene."

"I'll never tire of hearing that from you. I love you too, Dixon," she responded and he growled, his hands pulling her back to his lips before winding into her hair and roaming her body, making her gasp and moan against him.

"Bedroom," she ordered against his lips and he nodded before gently picking her back up and carrying them effortlessly to her bedroom which was the only one on the first floor of the house. She moaned at the feel of his hardness in his jeans and her kisses became hungrier and messier. Daryl kicked her bedroom door shut before walking the two of them to her bed and clumsily collapsing them both on her bed. Her fingers had been eagerly pushing his coat and vest off then pulling at the buttons on his shirt as he had carried her. Now that they were both laying down, him on top of her, her fingers were working faster on the buttons. He stilled her hands for a moment and she instantly met his eyes, which were full of hesitance and insecurities. She knew of his scars and she smiled softly at him.

"It's okay, Daryl," she gently ran her hand across his cheek and he nodded, closing his eyes and his body tensing. Beth pressed her lips to his softly and she could feel his body relaxing back against hers. She removed his shirt one button at a time until it was open and revealing his chest. She slowly ran her hands down his chest, brushing the scars that littered his skin before pushing him to sit up, straddling her while she pressed her lips to his collar bone, working her way down his torso. Her lips touched his scars as well as his unmarred flesh and she felt him groan against her as her hands hovered near his jeans button. Daryl's eyes flickered to hers and he could see the apprehension and nerves in her eyes.

"I've never…done this," she told him softly and he swallowed heavily, his thoughts telling him that if they were going to do this, he needed to make it special for her. He needed to take care of her, not the other way around.

"We…we can stop," he told her and she shook her head quickly.

"No, I want this. I want you…I just don't know what I'm doing." Her cheeks reddened with her words and Daryl placed kisses on her lips, cheeks, and worked his way down her neck, his hands going to the hem of her shirt. His eyes glanced at hers quickly and she nodded, lifting her arms to allow him to remove her shirt. He threw her shirt over his shoulder and shrugged his own off to join it. His eyes soaked in the sight of her breasts clad in her black bra. Beth's cheeks reddened and he could see that she was fighting the urge to cover herself. He leaned her back onto the bed, his lips on hers and he could feel the nerves leaving her. His hands eased up her back and he unclasped her bra, easing it down her arms slowly before finally flinging it across the room. He placed one of his hands on one of her breasts, cupping it in his hand before lightly pinching the nipple, making her arc into his body and gasp.

The sound of the front door banging open startled the couple but they didn't move to investigate or cover up, both silently hoping that whoever it was would leave.

"Daryl, Beth, you need to come out here!" Rick yelled, his voice dripping with anger. Daryl sighed and groaned.

"Rick has terrible timing," he grumbled against her lips and Beth whimpered as he removed his hand and reluctantly moved off of her body. "Gotta start thinking about grandma or walkers or something…Need a cold shower…"

Beth's hand grabbed his and he turned to her, his eyes moving over her naked torso, his body aching to return to her on her bed.

"Can we…continue this later?" she asked, her eyes showing him her nerves, excitement, desire, and love for him. He smirked and leaned down to kiss her again.

"I wanna continue this now but it sounds like something bad has happened after all." The couple sighed before reluctantly getting dressed and exiting the room to see Rick angrily pacing in the living room. Rick's eyes glanced over the two, his eyes registering Beth's reddened cheeks and her hair in a disarray. He gave the couple an apologetic look and they awkwardly nodded. Rick cleared his throat before gesturing with his head outside, the anger reappearing in his face.

"You two gotta hear this…"

"What is it? What's happened?" Beth asked. Rick huffed angrily.

"Eugene's been lying to us, he doesn't know what caused this or how to make the cure. I'm having him share his lies to everyone in the group outside, come on." Beth glanced at Daryl, her eyes showing her confusion and disappointment. He nodded, feeling the same way before following Rick outside.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **Slight smut ahead! (I've never written smut before so it's prolly not very good. Sorry!)

I think there is only one chapter left (maybe a sequel, we'll have to see if ideas come up and are good enough to be a sequel) after this one!

**Chapter 16 – **

Beth bit her lip as Daryl slowly eased his way into her and a gasp of pain escaped her mouth as he tore through her virginity. A groan escapes his mouth before his lips place soft kisses along her cheeks, forehead, eyes, lips, and down her neck, his body still as he waited for her to adjust. Beth's eyes closed tightly for a moment as she waited for the pain to ease. Talks with her girl friends before the apocalypse and Maggie did little justice to the feeling of being melded to a man, to Daryl. His head was laying on her collar bone, his breath warm against her bare chest. Beth wiggled her hips experimentally and his head shot up to hers, concern and questions in his eyes.

"Its okay…what…what do I do?" she asked nervously, one of her hands moving from his shoulder to his neck where it tangled in the hair that hung there.

"Your body will know naturally," he told her, his voice deeper than normal. Daryl eased his hips back, almost pulling out of her completely before pushing back in. Beth's hips jerked and she raised them to meet his next thrust, a soft moan escaping her throat when he thrust slightly harder into her. Their tempo quickened and Beth could feel a coil of heat building, her legs hooking themselves around Daryl's waist in hopes of building more friction. The hunter let out a groan as he thrust deeper and it becomes a frenzied blur of pleasure and skin on skin until she's biting into his shoulder to keep from crying out as her orgasm explodes in her. Daryl moans out Beth's name and he thrusts a few more times in a frenzy before his body tenses, her name floating from his mouth before he pulls out, disposing of the condom he was wearing and pulling her sweaty body to his. The couple lay together, a tangle of limbs and sheets as they caught their breath.

" 'm glad you told them what you did at that meeting, Beth," Daryl tells her tiredly and Beth "hmm's" in response, both feeling satiated and tired after their love making.

"I love you, Daryl," she whispered sleepily against his neck as she curled into his naked body, her legs tangling with his as she succumbed to sleep.

"I love you too, Beth," he mumbled, his eyes drifting shut.

* * *

_"What do you mean, you don't know what caused this?" Abraham's voice hollered as he paced in front of the fire the group was situated around for dinner. Eugene had the audacity to at least look ashamed of his actions before clearing his throat._

_ "I only said that for protection. I wasn't built for this kind of world."_

_ "Neither was I, but you don't see me lying to anyone about it. You learn to adjust to it, Eugene," Beth lectured from her spot in front of Daryl. She wasn't necessarily pissed at Eugene for lying to everyone, she found his lies didn't really bother her at all. She was more upset that her time with Daryl had been interrupted. Her body thrummed with arousal, knowing his body was directly behind hers, his air warm against the top of her head, his hand hot on her hip._

_ "So, what do we do?" Glenn asked and Daryl snorted while Beth chuckled. Their eyes met briefly before she turned back to their family and she knew she had Daryl's support on whatever she had to say._

_ "Are you seriously asking that question? I'm staying here… It's safe, for now at least, there's food, and doctors. The only reason my answer would change is if Daryl deems it unsafe to stay," Beth turned her head back to look at Daryl and he shrugged._

_ "It's been safe so far. We strengthen the walls and expand to make more room for gardens and it'll be perfect to live in." He replied and Beth smiled. Rick nodded before looking to the rest of the group._

_ "I agree, staying here seems to be the best option. We'll take a vote." Beth grabbed Daryl's hand and pulled him back into their house. She knew everyone else from their group would want to stay and she didn't know Abraham or Rosita well enough to be bothered by their opinion, though she had a strong feeling they would vote to stay as well. Her body thrummed in excitement as she pulled Daryl back into her bedroom to resume their earlier activities._

* * *

"Beth, Daryl! You're gonna want ta see this!" Maggie screamed into the house, waking the sleeping couple.

"Dammit, can we get some uninterrupted time?" Daryl growled as he gently pried Beth off his body and got dressed. Beth smiled brightly at him as she did the same, her eyes unashamedly watching him dress and the two walked out of their bedroom to the front door. The door was wide open and the couple froze when they saw Rick holding Judith, tears of joy running down his face.

"Judtih?" Beth asked, surprise melting into joy on her face as she ran forward to ran her hand through Judith's hair. Tears ran down her face at the sight of the baby and she looked back to Daryl, who was staring wide-eyed at Carol. Beth froze

at the sight of the older woman, her mind instantly replaying the terror she had felt the last time she had seen her. The three nodded at each other awkwardly before Beth buried her face in Daryl's chest. She forced her mind to focus on the happy father and his son next to them, the small family finally reunited.

"Beth," Daryl's deep voice cut through her thoughts and she looked up at him. He shifted slightly and she could tell he was nervous about something.

"What is it, Daryl? Is it Carol? I'll be okay, I'll forgive her. I don't want to become a problem with your friendship…"

"No, it's not that. I can't forgive her for what she did…not right now at least." He sighed and Beth placed her hand on his cheek to comfort him. He closed his eyes and leaned into her hand. "I uh…I'm not a romantic person, you know that. And I'm more than certain I'll do somethin' to fuck this up again…ah hell, I'll just…" he grumbled and dug in his pocket. Beth eyed him, confusion in her eyes as she tried to piece together his broken speech before he grabbed her left hand and slid a diamond ring and wedding band onto her ring finger.

"I got this off a walker the other day," he told her and she laughed, tears forming in her eyes again as she eyed the gorgeous ring set.

"Marry me, Beth Greene."

"Absolutely, Daryl Dixon," she answered before kissing him deeply. The two broke apart when they heard cheers going on around them, their entire family having watched the awkward proposal. The couple blushed at the attention but happily accepted the hugs their family gave them. Beth's fingers intertwined with Daryl's and she smiled brightly at him.

"Did you know that they have a priest here? He could marry you officially," Maggie exclaimed in her excitement. Beth and Maggie had been working hard to repair their relationship and while it wasn't as close as it had been, the two were definitely getting along better though Maggie and Daryl still butted heads frequently. Beth looked at Daryl, the question of whether he wanted an "official" wedding or not in her eyes. He shrugged and Beth smiled.

"I don't need a piece of paper," she told her sister happily before wrapping her arms around Daryl's neck and kissing him. "I'm yours, Mr. Dixon."

"I love you, Mrs. Dixon," he told her, a genuine smile growing on his face before he kissed her back.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: **And here we have it, guys! The end of this story! Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews and comments, all of the favorites, follows, etc. I am just blown away by them all! I hope you enjoy this last chapter! :)

**Chapter 17 – Epilogue**

Beth took a deep breath and smiled as she let it out, her eyes reopening to see Daryl looking back at her, a soft smile on his face. The couple was out on a hunt and Beth was enjoying the late spring air and the beauty of the green leaves and blooming flowers in the woods around the Alexandria Safe-Zone. It had been about five months since they had arrived and things were running incredibly smoothly. They had expanded the Safe-Zone, planted more crops and tamed more livestock over the last few months and things had been quiet. All-in-all, life was good. The only rough part of their setup was their relationship with Carol. The three had reached an impasse, understanding why she did what she did but undecided on what to do about it. The three were cordial, their friendship returning slightly over time, though Beth found she couldn't be alone with the woman. Something that Daryl seemed to share as he never gave them an opportunity to be alone together.

Beth walked up to Daryl and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss before walking off to work on her tracking skills with him following behind her, grumbling about her teasing him and how he couldn't wait to get her back in their bed. She smiled back at him and gave him a wink before returning her attention to the tracks in front of her. Everyone had sworn that they would not allow themselves to become complacent, always pushing for everyone to train and practice their weapons, fighting, and general life-saving skills to keep from being caught off guard again. So her and Daryl went on frequent hunting trips to keep their skills up; him giving her the crossbow for more practice using it.

She had gotten quite good at using his crossbow, she was able to load it by herself now and was in the process of getting used to using it as a bashing tool like Daryl could when time didn't permit a reload. If something happened to the Safe-Zone and Beth was separated from everyone again, she would be capable of surviving. She hoped it would never come down to that but she knew it helped Daryl sleep at night knowing that she could defend and protect herself as well as hunt for her own food.

"Maggie's pregnant," she announced suddenly and she could hear the slight stumble in Daryl's step at the news.

"Yeah?"

"Yup, I overheard her telling Glenn last night!"

"So you eavesdropped on their conversation and then gossiped about it to your husband instead of letting her tell us when she's ready?" he asked her, his voice light and teasing.

"That's what sisters do. They eavesdrop and gossip to their husbands." He "hmm'd" in response and Beth chuckled.

"I think she'll have a girl," she told him as she stopped and turned to him, watching him approach her.

"Prolly," he agreed, his eyes meeting hers. Beth smiled and turned to continue hunting but his hand on her arm stopped her. "Do you…do you want children, Beth?" Her eyes brightened and Daryl knew her answer before she opened her mouth.

"I always wanted children, before all this."

"I 'unno if I'd be a good father, Beth…My old man…"

"Is not who you are. You're going to be a great father." His eyes widened and he stared at Beth.

"G-going to be?" he stuttered and Beth laughed.

"Eventually, yes, I'm not pregnant. Calm down." Daryl breathed a sigh of relief and he shook his head. "Would it be so bad if I was?" she asked and Daryl shook his head.

"I never let myself entertain the idea of being a father, Beth, not before you. Especially after Lori…Christ, what if that happens with you whenever you are pregnant? Or Maggie?" It had taken Daryl most of the past few months to build a decent relationship with his sister-in-law and it was mostly because Beth wanted them to be in the same room without glaring at each other. His concern for his sister-in-law's safety mainly stemmed from the fact that Beth would be torn apart without her sister in her life.

"I don't think it will," she told him as she took his hands in hers. "Lori's situation…we were in a completely different place back then. We spent most of the early months of her pregnancy running, being malnourished, and stressed for our well being. That extra stress on her body may have led to the complications during birth. I'm not saying that we don't risk the same problems here, obviously there is a risk of needing to run and seek a new shelter at any time but _at the moment_, we live a relatively stress-free life. We're safe, for now. And that's what counts.

* * *

Months fly by and Daryl sighs into Beth's hair as he curls his exhausted body around hers after undressing from his watch shift, the cool fall air keeping the air of their house chilly. Beth suddenly rolled over and kissed his goatee.

"I've got some news," she whispers to him and he gives a tired grunt to show her he's listening, his hand moving slowly up her bare back along her spine.

"I hope you'll be happy to hear it, Daddy Dixon." Daryl's eyes flew open, his hand stilling on her back. His eyes met hers in the dim moonlight that shined through their window and she smiled, her hand moving his to her flat stomach. "Your son is growing in there," she told him softly. He swallowed heavily, his eyes moving to his hand on her stomach.

"You're…we're…a baby?" she chuckled softly at his stuttering and nodded, her eyes brimming with tears of happiness.

"I'm certain our Little Dixon is a boy," she sighed, "I want to name him after Merle." Daryl's eyes widened and he shook his head, swallowing heavily.

"We have plenty of time to think of a name…I'm a dad…" Beth smiled as she watched his face light up with happiness as the news sunk in. Daryl shifted his body so that his face was near her stomach and he gently laid his head on it, his hands holding her hips as he placed kisses on the flat plane of her stomach.

"Hey baby boy, daddy's here…I'm not goin' anywhere. I'll keep you safe, you and your momma." He whispered to Beth's belly before kissing his way up to her mouth and covering her body with his.

* * *

"You are never fucking touching me again, Dixon!" Beth screamed through a contraction, her hand squeezing Daryl's. Rick chuckled from Beth's other side and she turned her glare on him, yelling and cussing at him through the next contraction.

"Okay, Beth, it's time. Push!" the doctor instructed her. Beth clenched her teeth and pushed, letting out a scream, her grip breaking one of Daryl's fingers. He flinched but wisely kept his mouth shut about the pain, only opening his mouth to give the woman he loved encouragement as she brought their child into the world.

"God, I'm going to kill you for this, Daryl!" she panted before pushing again when the doctor instructed.

"Okay, I know, babe…come on, you can do it," Daryl encouraged, making Rick laugh.

"You realize you just gave her permission to kill you, don't you?"

"Oh god, you're on my list too, Rick," Beth growled out. She collapsed against the bed, exhaustion showing on her face.

"One more push, Beth, come on," Daryl told her, his anxiety and concern growing as she nodded tiredly. The doctor didn't seem too concerned so Daryl forced himself to ignore the feeling welling in his chest and to focus on talking to Beth through the next push. A sudden crying entered the room and Beth let out a sob in relief.

"A baby boy," the doctor told them as he cut the umbilical cord and checked the baby over quickly before cleaning him up and wrapping him in a soft blanket. The doctor handed their baby boy to Beth and Daryl felt all of his words clog his throat at the sight of their son.

"Jason Merle Dixon…" Beth whispered, her eyes tearing up at the bundle in her arms before moving to meet Daryl's. "What do you think of that name?" Daryl opened his mouth to reply but the words were still stuck in his throat, he couldn't get a sound out. He snapped his mouth shut and nodded, his eyes burning slightly with tears at the beautiful baby and mother.

* * *

"Daddy…" a soft, girlish voice floated to Daryl in his dreams and he instantly sat up, awake, his hand on his crossbow that leaned against his side of the bed. A flash of lightning brightened the room for a moment and Daryl could make out his two-year-old daughter's shape standing nervously beside him.

"Hey baby girl, the storm scare ya?" he asked, his voice groggy with sleep. A soft "uh huh" came from the girl and he slid his blankets back to allow her room to crawl in the bed with him and Beth.

"Don't roll over, Daryl," Beth's voice murmured sleepily from behind him. "Jason's in here too." Daryl's tired brain registered the presence of their four-year-old son behind him and grunted as their daughter, Skyla Grace, climbed across his stomach to curl up between him and Jason.

"We're gonna need a bigger bed," he grumbled. Beth let out a soft chuckle, her hand brushing their son's brown hair off his forehead before moving to their daughter's blonde curls and then finding Daryl's hand and giving it a squeeze.

"There's room for one more in here, Daddy Dixon." Daryl's eyes widened as he recognized the "Daddy Dixon" and what it meant and he sat up, looking at his wife, who nodded with a bright, albeit tired, smile on her face. She never called him "Daddy Dixon" except when she was announcing a pregnancy. He let out a groan before laughing, torn between the excitement of having another child and the concern for the woman he love's life.

Things were still going smoothly in the Safe-Zone and food wasn't a concern so Daryl's main concerns came with the child birthing but Beth was strong, he had faith in her.

* * *

"I-I can't…" Beth's voice was weak and Daryl's heart clenched tightly.

"Yes, you can, Beth. You're strong, you can do this. I _need_ you to…" Beth's face lifted into a hazy smile but her eyes shined with tears.

"I'm sorry, Daryl…I'm sorry…I can't…" Daryl's eyes drifted to the doctor and the doctor nodded.

"The baby seems to be stuck…we're going to have to perform a caesarean…"

"No, no…no, you can't do that…She'll…" Daryl's eyes filled with tears and he glanced at Rick, who looked stricken. "We've had two healthy babies…two healthy labors…come on, Beth, baby, you can't leave me….Jason and Skyla…" Beth's hand moved shakily to his cheek and wiped at his tears.

"It's okay, Daryl…I won't leave you."

* * *

Daryl stared at the blue bundle in his arms, his third child, his second son. His heart felt that familiar warmth at the sight of their child but it also felt the heaviness of their situation. His eyes glanced up at Beth, who was sleeping in the bed beside him with Jason and Skyla sitting at the foot of the bed, both watching their mother sleep with tear filled eyes.

"She's…" Daryl cleared his throat, "she's going to be okay…" he told them. "I have faith…" His two children nodded, Jason's dark hair hanging in his blue eyes and Skyla's curls bouncing with the movement.

"What's our brother's name, daddy?" the little girl asked and Daryl smiled softly, wiping his tears away with his free hand.

"We liked Davin as his first name but we couldn't decide on a middle name. Do either of you have a suggestion?" His two children looked at each other and smiled before turning back to him.

"Hershel, after Grandpa Hershel."

"Davin..Hershel…Dixon…'s a great name…" Beth's voice was groggy from the drugs the doctor had given her before performing the surgery. Jason and Skyla instantly moved forward, hugging their mother tightly, making her wince at the pain before her hands went to their hair.

"I'm okay…" she told them softly and the two siblings moved back to their spot at her feet, nodding and crying. Beth's blue eyes met Daryl's before glancing at the bundle in his arms. "Is he…?"

"Healthy," Daryl choked out as his own tears fell. "You…scared me, Beth…"

"I'm sorry…I told you I wouldn't leave you. Never again." Daryl nodded, gently placing their son in her lap and collapsing against her, avoiding her stomach where her wounds were, and crying tears of relief and happiness that the woman he loved, the mother of his children, was still here with him.

"I'm never going to leave you, Daryl Dixon. I swore that when you found me all those years ago and we argued in that van. I swore that when I said yes to your proposal. I've sworn it every day since."

Daryl took a deep breath and nodded, his tears subsiding as Jason and Skyla climbed off the bed and wrapped their arms around him. He had his family, something he had never imagined having before the end of the world nine or so years ago. The door to the room opened and Daryl turned to see Rick, Michonne, and the rest of his family walk in. They filled the small space of the room but Daryl could not be happier to see them. They were strong in their faith and hope, and they were strong in numbers and as long as they were together, they were unstoppable.

The End


End file.
